REPORT 


ON 


Relief  of  Traffic  Congestion 
on  Lower  Market  Street 


BY 

BION   J.   ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  6 
Submitted  Oct.  30, 1912. 


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REPORT 


ON 


Relief  of  Traffic  Congestion 
on  Lower  Market  Street 


BY 

BION    J.    ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  6 

Submitted  Oct.  30,  1912. 


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Description  of  Illustrations  Accompanying 
Report  No.  6 

Photograph.  Typical  Ferry-bound  traffic  conditions  during  evening  rush  hour. 
Note  majority  of  pedestrians  on  north  side  of  Market  street  and  close  spacing  of  cars 
on  out-bound  tracks;  also  contraction  of  throat  at  Ferry  loop  due  to  Sacramento 
street  corner. 

Figure  1.  Vehicle  traffic  count,  Fourth  and  Market  streets,  showing  graphically  the 
volume  and  complexity  of  traffic  How  at  a  typical  congested  center;  also  the  necessity 
of  according  Market  street  traffic  preference  over  transverse  traffic. 

Figyre  2.  Study  of  car  delay  on  lower  Market  street,  representing  graphically 
Where  the  congestion  occurs  along  Market  street,  as  shown  by  the  slowing  of  the 
schedule.  Note  the  hump  between  Sutter  and  McAllister  streets.  Minimum  speed 
3.2  miles  per  hour.     Average  results  from  160  cars  counted  during  evening  rush  hour. 

Figure  3.  Comparative  loading  time  of  various  types  of  cars,  including  the  newer 
Oakland  cars  with  movable  guide-rail.  For  average  group  of  passengers  at  Ferry 
and  on  Market  street. 

Figure  4.  Possible  track  connections  for  accommodating  four-line  traffic,  showing 
two  alternative  plans  for  minimizing  car  interference:  A,  parallel  flow  plan  as  rec- 
ommended; B',  counter  flow  plan,  avoiding  all  branch-off  crossings;  C,  parallel  flow 
plan,  avoiding  one  line  of  crossings. 

Figure  5.  Typical  cross-sections  of  street,  showing  possible  station  arrangements 
resulting  from  different  trackage  plans — A,  B  and  C. 

Figure  6.  Proposed  rearrangement  of  safety  station  for  accommodating  two  cars 
simultaneously,  first  car  arriving  to  talve  the  forward  berth.  Step  built  around  out- 
side of  station  for  protection  to  waiting  passengers.      Seats  optional. 

Figure  7.  Car  step  clearance  diagram,  showing  present  variation  in  step  clearance 
at  safety  stations  along  Market  street,  and  position  of  proposed  stations. 

Figure  8.  Diagram  indicating  relative  distribution  of  seats  in  the  vicinity  of 
Market  street  during  a  typical  rush  hour.  "Width  of  band  is  proportional  to  number 
of  seats  passing  a  given  point  per  hour.  Geary  and  Sutter  street  traffic  shown  in 
heavy  black  for  comparison.  This  diagram  represents  trackage  Plan  A,  as  recom- 
mended. 

Figure  9.  Same  as  Figure  8,  except  for  alternative  trackage  Plan  B,  accommodat- 
ing Geary  and  Sutter  street  lines  on  separate  tracks.  The  relative  interference  of 
car  traffic  can  be  best  appreciated  by  comparing  these  two  plans. 

Figure  10.  Proposed  detailed  arrangement  of  safety  stations  and  stops  on  lower 
Market  street,  showing  all  possible  stops  for  trackage  Plan  A,  as  recommended. 

Figure  11.*  Proposed  arrangement  of  stations  and  stops  for  alternative  trackage 
Plan  iB. 

Figure  12.*     Present  plan  of  stations  and  stops  on  Market  street. 

Key  Sheet.     Figures  10,  11,  and  12. 

*Originals  on  file.  Board  of  Supervisors. 


RELIEF  OF  TRAFFIC  CONGESTION 
ON  LOWER  MARKET  STREET 

Preliminary  Report  No.  6 

Board  of  Supervisors,  City  of  San  Francisco. 

Gentlemen :  In  furtlier  considering  ways  and  means  for  the  immediate 
relief  of  the  traffic  congestion  on  lower  Market  street,  I  am  now  able  to 
confirm  my  earlier  recommendations  expressed  to  you  verbally,  after  care- 
ful study  of  these  existing  conditions,  and  I  therefore  submit  to  you  at  this 
time  more  detailed  information  in  the  hope  that  the  facts  conveyed  may 
assist  you  in  taking  steps  toward  conserving  the  full  capacity  of  this  most 
important  thoroughfare. 

As  indicated  in  previous  reports,  it  is  only  possible  for  me  to  transmit  to 
you  at  this  time  recommendations  on  such  phases  of  the  larger  problem  under 
consideration  as  now  appear  to  be  unaffected  by  any  ultimate  plan  of  settle- 
ment. This  report  will  therefore  be  later  amplified  with  respect  to  such  mat- 
ters as  cannot  at  the  present  time  be  reasonably  determined,  for  example — 
rerouting. 

Consideration  has  been  given  herein  to  the  following  subjects :  Traffic 
regulation ;  car  and  passenger  distribution ;  location  and  sources  of  transit 
delays ;  street  capacity ;  loading  speed ;  physical  obstructions ;  intersecting 
lines ;  arrangement  of  tracks ;  safety  stations ;  assignment  of  stops,  present, 
proposed  and  alternative ;  shelters ;  ferry  loop  traffic. 

From  the  above,  it  will  be  observed  that  this  report  relates  to  the  physi- 
cal conditions  and  the  operative  problems  only,  and  has  no  bearing  whatever 
upon  any  question  of  franchises  or  litigation  involving  the  outer  tracks  in 
lower  Market  street. 

Summary  of  Recommendations. 

Encourage  and  extend  the  worlc  of  the  traffic  force. 

Reserve,  for  heavy  vehicle  traffic,  one  street  thi'ough  the  Mission  parallel 
to  Market  street,  and  one  or  more  crossing  Market  street  through  the 
wholesale  district. 

Right-of-way  should  be  determined  by  relative  amount  of  pedestrian  and 
car  traffic  at  important  intersections. 

Reduce  car  traffic  crossing  Market  street  throat  during  rush  hours  to 
a  minimum,  e.  g..  First  street. 

Average  loading  speed  of  cars  must  be  increased. 

Use  both  ends  of  the  cars  at  the  Fex'ry  for  loading,  at  least,  during 
periods  of  maximimi  travel. 

Rearrange  safety  stations  with  seats  elsewhere  than  opposite  entrances 
and  exits. 

Extend  stations  to  accommodate  two  cars  at  designated  points  of  heavy 
travel. 


6  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM. 

At  the  heaviest  traffic  points— Third  street  and  Fourth  street — two  cars 
Bhoukl  berth  and  cross  together,  tandem   fashion. 

Estai)lish  only  "near  side"  stops  within  the  business  district. 

Distribute  stops  as  uniformly   as  possible  to  peniiit  rapid  running. 

Eliminate  as  many  unnecessary  or  special  stops  as  may  be  consistent  with 
the  varying  local  demands  of  passenger  travel. 

Out-bound  stations  are  more  necessary  thau  in-bound ;  the  latter  are  only 
required  within  districts  where  ferry  travel  originates. 

Avoid  out-bound  and  in-bound  stations   located  in  opposite  position. 

Designate  all  stopping  points  definitely  by   fixed  signs. 

No  considerable  increase  in  the  use  of  the  inner  tracks  on  Market  street 
can  be  recommended  under  present  conditions  and  routing. 

Use  of  outer  tracks  should  be  limited  to  preserve  the  proper  ratio  of 
car  traffic  on  inner  and  outer  tracks.     Minimum  headway  45  seconds. 

Four-track  plan  A,  best  suited  to  immediate  needs,  is  recommended. 

Establish  definite  rules  for  stops  with  regard  to  cars  passing  on  parallel 
tracks. 

Commence  proceedings  for  the  recession  of  the  protruding  corner  of  Sac- 
ramento and  East  streets. 

Water-front  terminal  will  require  modification  to  better  fulfill  the  fluctu- 
ating demands  of  ferry  traffic. 

Traffic  Kegulation.  The  plans  which  your  Police  Department  contem- 
plate putting  into  effect  throughout  the  congested  district  under  the  supervision 
of  the  traffic  force,  I  consider  to  be  most  important,  and  should  be  heartily 
encouraged  by  all  your  citizens  as  one  effective  means  of  reducing  the  traffic 
congestion  on  lower  Market  street.  The  appended  diagram.  Figure  1,  repre- 
senting graphically  the  present  conditions  at  a  typical  congested  intersection — 
Fourth  and  Market  streets — will  give  you  an  idea  of  the  complexity  of 
vehicle  routing,  with  which  street  transportation  companies  have  to  con- 
tend. This  will  also  illustrate  the  necessity  for  the  institution  of  the  trafflc 
signal  at  such  intersections,  in  order  to  permit  the  most  rapid  interchange 
of  vehicles  by  selective  routing.  I  luiderstand  that  the  installation  of  the 
selective  signal  will  be  extended  to  all  the  more  congested  intersections  along 
Market  and  Mission  streets,  and  to  otlier  important  intersections,  such  as 
Kearny  and  Sutter  streets,  and  I  believe  that  such  a  system  will  result  in 
maximum  benefit,  as  has  been  proved  in  other  large  cities. 

I  am  informed  that  before  tlie  traffic  force  was  organized,  there  were 
approximately  1,600  vehicles  crossing  per  hour  observed  at  Fourth  and 
Market  streets,  and  that  fully  70  per  cent  of  the  vehicles  using  Market 
street  were  "empties",  a  great  majority  of  which  were  found  upon  this  street 
not  by  reason  of  necessity  but  purely  hy  preference.  As  a  result  of  the 
operations  of  the  traffic  force,  the  number  of  vehicles  intersecting  at  this 
location  had  been  reduced  to  less  than  1,000  by  actual  count  in  the  early 
part  of  the  year.  The  appended  diagram  shows  984  vehicles,  exclusive  of 
street  cars.  Fortunately  this  vehicle  traffic  is  somewhat  less  during  the 
evening  rush  hours  than  during  midday,  so  that  the  increase  in  car  traffic 
is  a  little  less  serious  than  if  vehicle  traffic  also  increased  proportionately 
thereto. 

On  account  of  the  unavoidable  necessity  of  utilizing  Market  and  Mis- 
sion  streets  primarily  for  passenger  travel,   it  will   be  desirable  for  you  to 


LOWER  MARKET  STREET  7 

reserve  as  far  as  possible  for  vehicle  traffic  one  street  parallel  thereto. 
Howard  street  is  the  natural  choice,  and  I  am  pleased  to  confirm  the  selec- 
tion of  this  street  by  your  traffic  force  for  this  purpose.  By  the  genera? 
use  of  Howard  street  as  the  main  trucking  thoroughfare  from  The  Embarch- 
dero  to  the  Mission,  existing  traffic  conditions  will  be  improved,  as  soon  as 
the  construction  work  being  carried  on  upon  this  street  is  completed.  The 
perfection  of  the  work  of  the  traffic  force  should  be  encouraged  in  every 
possible  way  by  both  pedestrians  and  teamsters. 

Similarly,  Battery-Fifst  streets  and  Front-Fremont  streets  should  be  re- 
served as  far  as  possible  as  trucking  thoroughfares,  in  order  to  relieve  Mont- 
gomery street,  which  is  extremely  narrow,  and  Kearny-Third  streets  which 
are  indispensable  for  passenger  and  car  traffic. 

The  Embarcadero  should  be  improved  and  maintained  in  the  best  pos- 
sible condition  so  as  to  encourage  its  use  for  the  heavier  trucking.  And  in 
this  connection,  the  recent  action  of  your  Board  in  taking  steps  to  open 
Berry  street  deserves  commendation  as  a  means  of  facilitating  this  plan  of 
diverting  all  unnecessary  vehicle  traffic  from  the  congested  intersections  along 
Market  and  Mission  streets. 

Car  Distribution.  The  location  of  centers  of  congestion  can  be  shown 
very  accurately  by  observation  under  heavy  traffic.  Typical  conditions  now 
existing  during  the  evening  rush  hour  along  Market  street  are  represented 
by  the  appended  diagram,  figure  2,  and  the  following  data  obtained  therefrom 
by  averaging  the  running  time  of  160  cars  out-bound  from  the  Ferry  between 
4:30  and  6:00  p.  m.  These  conditions  were  perhaps  slightly  aggravated  by 
the  construction  work  in  progress  on  Howard,  Second,  and  Market  streets; 
but,  nevertheless,  they  are  liable  to  occur  at  any  time  when  congestion  is 
not  promptly  controlled. 

Approxi- 
mate 
Total     Speed.     Cars       Dis- 
Oiitbound  Run  Time    Running  Miles      on      tance 

Interval     Time  Per  Hr.  Street     Feet 

Ferry    to    Sansome    ( Sutter) .5'o9"         5'59"         5.7         17        2660 

Sansome    to    Kearny     (Third) 4'20"       10'19"         3.2         12         1210 

Kearny  to   Stockton    (Fourth) 3'11"       13'.30"         4.3  5         1210 

Stockton  to  McAllister   (Sixth) 3'41"       17'10"         6.4  8         2080 

McAllister  to   Haight    (Valencia) 4'29"       21'39"       10.7  4220 

Haight  to  Castro  and  Eighteenth 7'14"       28'53"         9.4  6010 

Total     17390 

Average  speed.  Ferry  to  Eighteenth  street,  6.86  miles  per  hour. 

In  the  most  congested  run,  from  Sansome  to  Keai'ny  streets,  there  was 
an  average  car  spacing  of  about  100  feet,  or  only  about  twice  the  length  of 
a  standard  car.  The  crux  of  the  problem  is  to  be  found  at  Lotta's  Fountain — 
Third,  Kearny  and  Geary  streets — where  both  Market  street  tracks  are  crossed 
by  the  Third  and  Kearny  lines.  Here  the  delays  occasioned  by  crossings  are 
aggravated  to  the  maximum  degree  by  reason  of  the  concentration  of  pas- 
nengers  icithin  so  limited  an  area,  especially  during  the  evening  rush  hour. 
This  has  the  effect  of  slowing  the  entire  schedule  for  some  distance  bacJi.  To 
a   somewhat   less  degree   the  Fourth-Stockton   and   Market   srreet  crossing   is 


8  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM. 

also  responsible  for  considerable  congestion,  and  it  appears  that  the  capacity 
of  Market  street  is  practically  dependent  upon  and  determined  hy  the  con- 
dition of  these  two  couyestcd  crossimjs.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  out- 
boimd  tracks  are  comparatively  clear  as  far  as  Sansome  street,  which  is 
extremely  fortunate,  iii  view  of  the  proposed  extension  of  the  Sutter  street 
service  to  the  Ferry,  thus  relieving  also  the  proposed  Geary  street  extension 
to  the  Ferry. 

Car  Capacity,  The  carrying  capacity  of  the  Market  street  throat  has 
determined  by  numerous  observations  made  at  Market  and  Powell  streets. 
These  counts  indicate  that  on  the  average  about  125  cars  pass  out  of  the 
Market  street  throat  per  hour,  which  corresponds  to  about  2!)  seconds  aver- 
age headway.  From  computations  made  upon  standard  equipment  of  the  same 
type  under  efficient  operating  conditions,  I  believe  this  headway  is  very  close 
to  the  rmmmum  that  ought  to  be  considered  for  the  inner  Market  street  tracks, 
for  the  reason  that  the  several  short-haul  lines  that  use  Market  street  have 
little  or  no  opportunity  to  recover  by  fast  running  outside  of  the  business 
district,  and  the  beneficial  results  from  traffic  regulation  and  other  improve- 
ments hereafter  contemplated  ought  to  be  reserved  for  the  improvement  of 
the  present  running  speed  which  is  extremely  low.  This  standard  equipment 
is  capable  of  operating  most  efficiently  at  a  minimum  headway  of  only 
about  22  seconds  or  thereabouts  on  a  level  unobstructed  track,  assuming  a 
10-second  loading  stop  every  440  feet.  (Equivalent  to  an  average  city  block 
or  12  stops  per  mile.)  This  headway,  equivalent  to  163  cars  per  hour,  rep- 
resents about  the  maximum  clear  capacity  of  the  tracks. 

The  additional  cars  from  the  Geary  and  Sutter  street  lines  as  contem- 
plated would  increase  the  total  outflow  from  the  Market  street  throat  at 
Sutter  street  to  about  192  cars  per  hour,  assuming  a  two-minute  headway 
during  rush  hours  on  the  Geary  street  line.  In  the  present  four-track  plan, 
63  per  cent  of  the  equipment  would  have  to  be  handled  on  the  inner  tracks, 
i.  e.,  from  Geary  street  to  the  Ferry  there  would  be  found  28  out-bound  cars* 
on  the  inner  tracks  and  13  on  the  outer  tracks.  Were  the  Sutter  street  cars 
to  be  operated  on  the  inner  tracks  there  would  result  163  cars  per  hour 
out-bound  thereon  during  the  rush  hour.  As  this  is  about  the  theoretical 
capacity  of  the  equipment,  it  is  obviously  impossible  of  consideration.  There- 
fore, even  under  improved  conditions  anticipated  for  the  near  future,  I  can- 
not recommend  any  conMderable  increase  of  the  use  of  the  inner  tracks  by 
any  more  cars  than  at  present  operated.  And  if  running  conditions  cannot 
be  greatly  improved  now,  the  establishment  of  service  on  the  outer  tracks 
will  only  increase  rather  than  decrease  the  difficulties  of  operation.  As  a 
result,  it  is  entirely  within  the  bounds  of  possibility  that  in  the  near  future 
it  may  be  fomid  necessary  under  four-track  operation  to  reduce  the  number 
of  oars  utilizing  both  the  inner  and  the  outer  tracks  by  diverting  some  of 
the  tributary  routes  to  adjacent  thoroughfares;  or  else,  this  could  be  ac- 
complished by  looping  backt  a  certain  proportion  of  the  rush  hour  extra 
cars  on  all  north-side  lines  converging  into  Market  street,  as  is  now  done 
on  the  Turk  and  Eddy  line  during  rush  hours,  this  being  done  to  remove 


*By   actual   count. 

tDefinite  recommendations  for  the  proper  handling  of  this  rush  hour  short-haul 
traffic  will  be  found  in  a  forthcoming  report  on  Re-routing  and  Service  Re-distri- 
bution. 


LOWER  MARKET  STREET  9 

from  Market  street  the  additional  equipment  operated  solely  for  the 
handling  of  the  large  volume  of  business  traffic  originating  in  the  central 
loading  district.  In  any  event,  there  should  be  no  attempt  to  equalize 
the  traffic  on  the  inner  and  outer  tracks.  Owing  to  the  handicap  to  the 
inner  tracks,  the  number  of  cars  using  the  outer  tracks  should  be  kept  at 
a  minimum  and  not  exceed  about  38  per  cent  of  the  total  cars  using  the 
Market  street  throat.  The  necessity  for  this  balancing  of  traffic  arises 
from  the  fact  that  heavier  traffic  on  the  outer  tracks  will  prevent  access  to  the 
inner  tr-acks  and  in  the  end  defeat  the  ultimate  purpose  of  the  entire  four- 
track  arrangement. 

Figures  8  and  9,  referred  to  later,  indicate  the  relative  volume  of  car 
traffic  resulting  from  the  contemplated  use  of  the  outer  tracks  by  two  pro- 
posed methods. 

Passenger  Distribution.  The  above  observations  on  car  congestion  are 
confirmed  by  studies  of  the  distribution  of  out-bouud  passengers  along  Mar- 
ket street  as  determined  by  numerous  observations.  These  show  that  the 
heaviest  rate  of  loading  per  stop  begins  at  Second  street,  increasing  to  a 
maximum  at  Third  street,  thence  decreasing  progressively.  As  the  time  of 
loading  is  practically  proportional  to  the  volume  of  passenger  traffic,  every 
possible  means  of  relief  should  be  applied  to  this  section  of  the  Market 
street  throat,  as  herein  recommended. 

RELATIVE  VOLUME  OF  TRAVEL — 

Market   Street   Stations 
Out-bound  Average  Car,   Evening  Rush  Hour 

Station  Boarding        Total 

Only        Off  and  on 

Ferry    loop    12  12 

Drumm    ( California )    6  6 

Battery-First    (Bush)     8  8 

Sansome    ( Sutter )     8  10 

Second  street 7  7 

Montgomery    (Post) 14  16 

Kearny-Thircl  (Geary)    25  26 

Grant  (O'Farrell)    10  12 

Stockton-Fourth    (Ellis)    6  7 

PJmporium-Flood 6  7 

Powell-Fifth    (Eddy)    12  17 

Mason    (Turk)     4  5 

Taylor-Sixth    (Golden    Gate) 4  5 

Jones  (McAllister)    2  2 

Larkin-Ninth    (Hayes)     3  5 

Church-Fillmore    (Fourteenth)     3  6 

Note  heavy  loading  at  Kearny  street. 


10        SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM. 

RELATIVE  VOLUME  OF  TRAVEL^- 

Sutter  Street  Stations 

Out-bound  Average  Car,  Evening  Rusli   Hour 

(Sutter-California,    Sutter-Clement,    Sutter-Jackson) 

Boarding     Alighting     Total 

Sansome     30  30 

Montgomery    14  14 

Kearny    . 28  28 

Grant    9                    1  10 

Stockton     4  4 

Powell     15                    3  18 

Mason    1                    2  3 

Taylor     1  1 

Jones    1  1 

Leavenworth '2  2 

Hyde    2                    1  3 

Larkin     2  2 

Polk   8                  10  18 

Van  Ness    1  1 

Franklin    1                    2  3 

Gough    1                    4  5 

Octavia    5  5 

Laguna   1  1 

Buchanan 4  4 

Webster    1  1 

Fillmore    8                   19  27 

(Sutter-California,  Sutter-Clement,  only) 

Divisadero    2                    7  9 

North  Side  Traffic  Distribution.  Similar  observations  of  riding  habit 
on  north-side  lines  converging  into  Market  street  further  confirm  the  state- 
ment that  there  is  no  necessity  for  all  of  the  north-side  cars  which  run 
into  Market  street  continuing  to  the  Ferry  during  rush  hours.  The  ap- 
pended results  from  traffic  counts  on  Sutter  street  will  illustrate  this  point. 
These  results  show  that  the  heaviest  rush  hour  loading  originates  north 
of  Sansome  street.  This,  taken  in  connection  with  the  foregoing  fact 
that  Market  street  lines  do  not  pick  up  their  heavy  outbound  loads  until 
Second  street  or  Third  street  is  reached,  proves  that  this  north-side  traffic 
could  be  efficiently  handled  by  short-haul  "tripper"  extras  looping  back 
at  the  intersection  with  Market  street.  This  applies  equally  to  the  Geary 
street  and  Sutter  street  lines,  and  it  will  be  found  that  such  a  plan  will 
not  only  save  car-miles  for  use  on  that  part  of  the  line  where  needed,  but 
vjill  also  automatically  relieve  the  congestion  on  lower  Market  street. 

Minimum  Headway.  Until  further  experience  has  been  acquired  with 
the  operation  of  this  contemplated  four-track  plan,  it  appears  to  me  that 
the  most  feasible  method  of  conserving  the  maximum  usefulness  of  all 
the  tracks  on  Market  street  is  to  place  a  limit  on  the  number  of  cars  that 
may  be  operated  thereon.  Considering  the  proper  proportion  of  traffic 
between  inner  and  outer  tracks  as  above  discussed,  I  believe  I  can  safely 
recommend  that  an  average  headway  of  not  less  than  45  seconds  should 
be    seriously    considered    for    the    outer    tracks — that    is,    80    car-trips    per 


LOWER  MARKET  STREET  1  1 

hour — as  compared  with  the  present  headway  of  29  seconds,  or  125  car- 
trips  per  hour,  on  the  middle  tracks.  This  applies  to  the  present  type  of 
motor  car  equipment  and  might  very  readily  change  if  more  powerful 
motor  cars  were  later  put  into  operation.  Further,  as  the  schedules  of 
the  Geary  street  road  have  not  yet  been  worked  out,  it  is  somewhat  un- 
certain how  many  car-trips  per  hour  will  be  required,  and  especially  so 
in  view  of  the  possibility  of  additional  municipal  lines  desiring  to  use 
the  Geary  street  and  outer  tracks.  But,  as  the  general  theory  upon  which 
these  outer  tracks  are  used  is  that  of  equal  participation  in  maintenance 
and  receipts,  I  should  consider  it  reasonable  that  the  Municipal  and  the 
United  Railroads  lines,  respectively,  should  be  permitted  to  share  equally 
— that  is,  up  to  a  headway  of  90  seconds,  or  40  car-trips  per  hour. 

Obviously,  as  far  as  the  Market  street  traffic  conditions  are  concerned, 
it  is  immaterial  what  routes  contribute  to  this  total  utilization  of  the 
outer  tracks,  but  it  is  important  that  the  respective  operating  departments 
of  the  tributary  systems  should  co-operate  in  harmonizing  their  sched- 
ules, in  order  to  secure  the  maximum  resulting  service  for  the  patrons 
from  the  Western  Addition.  As  the  traffic  increases,  it  will,  in  my  judg- 
ment, be  found  necessary  and  entirely  practicable  to  put  in  force  a  sys- 
tem of  short-haul  routes,  especially  for  rush  hour  "trippers",  as  the  traffic 
counts  plainly  show  that  the  major  portion  of  the  heaviest  or  outbound 
riding  originates  west  of  Sansome  street,  rather  than  at  the  Ferry.  How- 
ever, on  days  of  exceptional  travel  or  during  emergencies,  it  is  quite 
likely  that  the  utmost  use  of  both  outer  and  inner  tracks  would  be  de- 
manded, in  which  event,  the  above-mentioned  minimum  headway  of  4  5 
seconds  could  be  somewhat  reduced  under  proper  authorization  from  the 
City,  but  such  permission  should  be  contingent  upon  close  co-operation  of 
the  respective  operating  departments  with  regard  to  schedules  and  the 
overlapping  of  authority  of  their  street  traffic  inspectors. 

Ivoading  Speed.  Preliminary  observations  on  a  large  number  of  cars  in- 
dicate that  the  average  speed  of  loadrng  in  seconds  per  passenger  is  low,  un- 
fortunately, in  San  Francisco.  This  condition  can  undoubtedly  be  remedied 
by  certain  improvements  in  platform  arrangements,  upon  which  I  shall  later 
make  recommendations,  liut  nevertheless  the  results  indicate  that  every  pos- 
sible facility  must  be  afforded  that  will  increase  the  loading  speed,  especi- 
ally when  large  groups  of  passengers — 15  to  r)0  or  GO — are  to  be  loaded 
at  one  stop.  This  condition  becomes  most  serious  at  the  Ferry  loop  ter- 
minal, referred  to  later,  which  will  require  special  treatment.  Hei'e.  10 
passengers  board  the  average  car  during  the  morning  hours,  which  is  about 
twice  as  many   as   for  the   average   stop   along   Market   street. 

The  extent  of  the  handicap  imder  which  present  equipment  is  being 
operated  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  the  largest  San  Francisco  cars, 
for  gi'oups  of  10  passengers,  require  about  27.5  per  cent  more  time  per 
passenger  to  load  than  the  latest  type  of  car  operated  in  Oakland,  where 
the  radius  rod  is  in  use  that  permits  the  full  length  of  step  to  be  used  for 
entrance  as  in  the  Geary  street  equipment.  Figure  3  indicates  this  relation 
graphically. 

Physical  Obstniction.s.  One  very  apparent  cause  of  this  slow  loading 
exists  in  the  present  arrangement  of  safety  stations,  the  majority  of  which 
are    approximately   the   same    length   as   the   car,    so   that    the    station    seats 


12  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM. 

occur  directly  opposite  the  car  entrances  and  exits,  thus  greatly  impeding 
the  passenger  flow.  This  impedance  is  confirmed  by  comparative  observa- 
tions of  loading  speed  taken  at  the  safety  stations  and  upon  the  level  street 
under  the  same  conditions.  In  this  respect,  the  stations  are  found  to  re- 
quire a  loading  time  about  13  per  cent  in  excess  of  that  of  the  street  level. 
If  seats  aitJ  required  at  all,  this  can  only  be  remedied  by  locating  the  seats 
alongside  the  car  instead  of  at  the  ends,  as  indicated  in  figure  G. 

Whatever  plans  are  carried  out  in  rearranging  tracks  at  the  Feri-y  loop, 
steps  should  be  immediately  taken  to  set  back  the  triangular  corner  of 
Sacramento  street  and  The  Embarcadero,  vs'hich  makes  it  necessary  at  pres- 
ent for  the  Sacramento  street  car  tracks  to  enter  upon  and  thus  interfere 
with  the  main  Market  street  loop.  I  imderstand  that  unsuccessful  efforts 
have  previously  been  made  to  effect  this  improvement.  But,  in  spite  of  this, 
I  strongly  endorse  the  improvement  as  one  of  the  first  steps  in  the  relief 
of  the  Market  street  throat.  At  the  same  time,  a  recession  of  the  oppo- 
site corner  could  be  carried  out  to  advantage  in  order  to  open  the  throats 
of  the  loop  and  distribute  foot  passenger  travel  crossing  The  Embarcadero. 
This  situation   will   be'  enlarged  upon   in   a  subsequent  report. 

Intersecting  Lines.  With  the  increasing  traffic  occasioned  by  the  Sutter 
and  Geary  street  cars,  it  will  be  necessary  to  limit,  to  the  minimum,  inter- 
ference from  transverse  car  traffic  at  intersecting  streets,  particularly  at 
Third  street  and  Fourth  street.  I  understand  that  during  the  rush  hours 
it  is  the  present  practice  of  the  railway  company  with  certain  of  the  west- 
bound routes  that  have  heretofore  utilized  or  crossed  Market  street  tracks, 
to  "short-run",  beginning  the  route  at  the  Market  street  branch-off ;  for  ex- 
ample, the  Turk-Eddy  and  Hayes-Ellis  lines.  While  this  undoubtedly  dis- 
commodes some  passengers,  I  believe  it  is,  on  the  whole,  justifiable  In  view 
of  the  transfer  facilities  available,  and  it  is  possible  that  still  other  routes 
may  be  short-run  to  advantage,  in  order  to  relieve  the  Market  street 
thoroughfare  from  additional  cars.  The  Third  street  crossing  is  the  most 
serious  problem,  and  will  require  prompt  and  efficient  handling  to  secure 
effective  results. 

The  First  street  crossing  should  be  entirely  abandoned,  cars  stopping  at 
the  easterly  line  of  First  street,  at  least  during  rush  hours. 

Track  AiTangenients.  There  are  three  possible  arrangements  of  tracks 
•on  lower  Market  street  which  could  be  used  to  accommodate  both  the  Mar- 
ket street  and  Geary-Sutter  street  traffic.     Referring  to  Figure  4. 

Plan  A,  parallel  flow:  using  present  Ferry  loop  and  with  branch-offs 
from  the  outer  tracks.  Here  every  inbound  car  on  Geary  and  Sutter  streets 
must  cross  the  entire  throat,  holding  up  all  in-bound  and  out-bound  cars 
thereon. 

Plan  B,  counter  flow:  Market  street  lines  may  be  separated  entirely  from 
the  Geary  and  Sutter  street  lines  by  using  the  right-hand  pair  of  tracks 
exclusively,  with  an  individual  Ferry  loop.  This  plan  necessitates  a  rear- 
rangement of  loops  at  the  Ferry  in  order  to  avoid  the  same  interference 
as  it  is  sought  to  avoid  along  Market  street.  It  has  the  marked  advantage 
that  lines  converging  from  the  north  side  of  Market  street  do  not  occasion 
any  interference  with  the  through  Market  street  lines  as  in  the  other  two 
plans.  But  it  also  has  disadvantages :  First,  alternate  lines  of  traffic  along 
Market  street   with   increased  danger  of  accidents ;   second,   the   necessity   of 


LOWER  MARKET  STREET  1  3 

spreading  tracks  at  stations;  third,  the  unbalancing  of  car  traffic.  These 
are  discussed  later,   in  detail. 

Plan  C,  j)arallel  floiv:  branch-offs  from  the  first  and  third  instead  of  from 
the  first  and  fourth  tracks.  Here,  in-bound  Geary  and  Sutter  street  cars 
reach  the  Ferry  by  the  inner  track,  thus  avoidinff  one  line  intersection  but 
with  two  still  remaining.  This  arrangement  could  be  handled  by  the  pres- 
ent Ferry  loop  with  slight  modification,  or  by  the  rearranged  loop  shown. 
It  would  necessitate  Geary  street  cars  using  one  track  of  the  United  Rail- 
roads' lines. 

Cross-Section  of  Street.  There  are  four  possible  arrangements  of  cars 
and  safety  stations  with  the  present  four-track  layout  along  Market  street. 

Referring  to  Figure  5,  the  sketch  shows: 

(1)  Present  txco-track.  arrangement  above  or  south  of  Sutter  street,  with 

a  21-foot  clear ,  roadway,  measured  to  the  curb. 

(2)  Present    four-track    parallel    flow    arrangement    below    Sutter    street, 

without  safety  stations,  allowing  16i/4-foot  clear  roadway  with 
room  for  two  vehicles  to  pass  while  passengers  are  loading. 

(3)  Counter    floic    arrangement    with    internal    safety    platforms    utilized 

by  both  in-bound  and  out-bound  lines.  Obviously  out  of  the 
question. 

(4)  Counter   flon>   arrangement   showing   impracticability    of    two    stations 

on  a  four-track  arrangement  except  in  an  enlarged  part  of  the 
thoroughfare. 

(5)  Counter  ffoto  arrangement  with  central  platforms  suited  for  entrance 

and  exit,  both  lines.  Cars  on  the  outside  tracks  are  to  be  loaded 
from  the  street.     This  is  a  possible  arrangement. 

Of  the  above  arrangements,  Nos.  2  and  5  only  may  be  considered  as  prac- 
tical. They  correspond  to  Market  street  Plans  A  and  B,  Figures  10  and  11. 
In  No.  2,  platforms  cannot  be  used  to  advantage,  and  passengers  entering  or 
leaving  cars  on  the  inside  tracks  must  hold  up  the  entire  line  of  cars  on 
the  outside  tracks.  In  No.  5,  it  is  necessary  to  widen  the  present  "devil- 
strip"  at  stations.  For  a  platform  width  of  six  feet,  the  tracks  will  have 
to  be  spread  two  feet  on  each  side,  or  four  feet  total.  However,  this  spread- 
ing may  be  done  opposite  the  triangular  plazas  in  Market  street  so  as  not 
to  contract  the  roadway  on  the  south  side  of  the  street  as  shown  in  Figure 
11.  But  in  the  center  of  the  street,  the  platform  thus  becomes  a  real  safety 
station,  as  well  as  a  loading  station. 

Safety  Stations.  The  present  safety  stations  vary  in  length  from  the 
length  of  one  car  up  to  70  feet,  including  seat  and  electrolier  at  each  end. 
Apparently  they  were  designed  for  shorter  cars  than  now  regularly  oper- 
ated over  the  lines  of  heavy  traffic.  As  previously  indicated,  this  seat  ar- 
rangement is  entirely  improper,  and  I  should  recommend  that  the  platforms 
be  modified  either  by  concentrating  the  seating  at  the  middle  of  the  car  or 
by  extending  the  platform.  In  a  number  of  instances,  stations  of  larger 
capacity  than  at  present  available  are,  in  my  judgment,  badly  needed,  and 
Figure  6  shows  the  general  dimensions*  of  these  proposed  enlarge  stations, 
which  will  accommodate  two  cars  at  once,  with  a  space  between  fenders  for 

♦Safety  stations  may  be  shortened  2i^  or  3  feet  if  exit  doors  from  forward  car 
platforms  are  located  next  to  the  car  body  or  bulkhead,  as  in  the  Geary  street  cars, 
instead  of  next  to  the  bumper,  as  in  the  Market  street  ears. 


14  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM. 

interchange  of  passengers.  The  platform  proper  is  only  required  to  be 
of  suftic-ient  length  to  serve  the  entrance  and  exit  steps  of  the  platform,  al- 
though a  few  feet  additional  length  would  serve  a  useful  purpose  in  ao- 
eommodatlng  passengers  hunched  at  the  entrances.  A  substantial  electrolier 
at  each  corner  of  the  station  exposed  to  traffic  provides  some  protection  to 
standing  passengers ;  consequently  no  cement  barrier  is  shown  as  in  the  pres- 
ent stations.  But,  it  may  be  advisable  to  carry  a  six-inch  step  around  the 
outside  and  ends  of  the  station  to  serve  the  double  purpose  of  assisting 
passengers  to  ascend  and  to  protect  waiting  passengers  from  the  hubs  and 
wheel  guards  of  carelessly  driven  passing  vehicles.  Side  seats  are  shown 
in  this  sketch,  but  as  standing  si)ace  is  so  valuable,  it  is  perhaps  a  question 
whether  it  is  advisable  to  continue  their  use. 

Profiles  of  the  various  types  of  cars  operating  along  upper  Market  street 
show  a  maximum  variation  of  two  inches  betweea  the  widest  and  narrow- 
est car  steps.  This  permits  of  a  platform  built  more  nearly  to  the  step 
level  than  at  present.  Figure  7  shows  the  present  clearance  conditions  be- 
tween platforms  and  stations.  As  standard  equipment  will  probably  not 
employ  a  drop  step  lower  than  14  inches  from  the  rail.l-  I  believe  the  sta- 
tion could  be  built  to  a  height  of  10  inches  to  advantage,  and  with  a  mini- 
mum of  two  inches  clearance  outside  of  the  widest  step.  This  additional 
height  will  tend  to  prevent  persons  attempting  to  stand  on  the  ground  level, 
and  to  facilitate  entrance. 

Seat  Plow.  A  graphical  impression  of  the  relation,  disposition  and  vol- 
ume of  car  traffic  on  ^Market  street  and  liranc-h  streets  by  these  trackage  Plans 
A  and  B,  is  afforded  by  tlie  diagrams,  Figiu'cs  S  and  'J,  showing  the  number 
of  seats  passing  a  given  point  during  the  rush  hour.  Figure  9  shows  the 
entire  avoidance  of  car  interference  along  Market  street  b.v  the  Geary  and 
Sutter  street  lines.   Plan   B. 

Assignment  of  Stops.  The  plans  proposed  herein  for  locating  stopping 
points  and  operating  four  tracks  in  lower  ^larket  street  involve  the  follow- 
ing essential  principles : 

(1)  That   car   stops   should   be   distributed    as    rcniihirli/   as   possible   along 

the  street  in  order  to  secure  the  most  effective  car  operation,   i.   e., 
acceleration,  coasting  and  braking. 

(2)  That  the  distance  between   stops  should   be   increased  to  a   maximum 

consistent  with  convenience  of  the  majority  of  patrons  and  the  vary- 
ing local  demands  of  passenger  travel. 

(3)  That   provision    be   made    for    two-car    or    tandem    cross iiigfs    at    inter- 

secting  streets    where   congestion    of    traffic    is    sufficiently    serious    to 
require  traffic  regulation  and  the  whistle  signal. 

(4)  That   stations   at   such  points   be   designed   for   tandem    stops,   so   that 

loading   and    unloading    may    be   done   simultaneously    without    retard- 
ing the  entire  line  of  traffic  by  cars  berthing  singly  as  at  present. 

(5)  That  "fi-ee  way"  for  vehicle  traffic  across  intersecting  streets  should 

not   be   intei'fered   with   by    locating   the   stops   s;)   as   to   constitute    a 
source  of  congestion. 

(6)  That,    during    rush    hours,    the    right-of-way    across    Market    street    be 

proportioned   approximately   according  to   the   relative   volume  of  ]ias- 
senger  and  car  travel. 


tTo  the  step  tread. 


LOWER  MARKET  STREET  |  5 

(7)  That  definite  stopping  places  be  designated  by  posts  or  by  signs  sus- 

pended from  the  trolley  span  wires  supplemented  by  signs  in  the 
pavement,  so  that  patrons  may  know  exactly  where  cars  are  to  stop, 
thus  avoiding  confusion. 

(8)  That   safety   loading   stations   are   only   needed    where   passengers   are 

required  to  icait  for  a  particular  car  for  any  length  of  time. 

(9)  That  branch   lines  should  berth  off  of  Market   street   as  soon   as  the 

intersection  is  reached. 
In  applying  these  principles,  the  institution  of  the  "near  side"  stop  be- 
comes necessary  at  least  within  the  congested  zone,  except  in  special  cases 
of  "blind"  street  intersections.  The  rule  may  be  waived  in  the  case  of  the 
blind  side  of  a  cross  street.  In  the  interests  of  safety,  cars  are  now  re- 
quired to  stop  at  all  special  work  intersections  over  which  cars  are  regu- 
larly operated  and  also  at  all  leading  switches.  It  follows,  therefore,  that 
they  should  not  be  required  to  stop  also  at  the  other  side  of  the  crossing,  but, 
cnce  across,  should  be  given  the  right-of-way  to  the  next  "near  side"  in- 
tersection in  oi'der  to  clear  the  block  for  siicceeding  cars.  This  will  elimin- 
ate certain  of  the  present  stopping  points,  unavoidably.* 

Plan  of  Stops.  The  accompanying  drawings.  Figures  10  and  11,  em- 
body the  above  principles,  applied  to  trackage  Plans  A  and  B,  respectively. 
These  may  be  compared  to  the  present  plan  of  stops,  Figure  12.  In  the  appendix 
hereto,  these  plans  are  discussed  in  detail,  with  the  reasons  for  such  changes 
as  are  recommended.  Each  station  stop,  flag  stop  and  safety  stop  is  desig- 
nated by  a  car  in  position.  Ordinarily,  not  all  of  these  stops  would  have  to 
be  made.  Cautionary  stops  are  also  indicated.  At  Third  street  and  Fourth 
street,  two-car  crossings  can  be  made  during  rush  hours.  The  present  safety 
stations  at  Ellis  and  at  O'Farrell  streets  are  removed  to  the  east  side  of 
the  crossing  and  several  of  the  stations  lengthened.  Stops  at  Fremont  and 
Main  streets,  in-bound,  are  omitted  to  facilitate  quick  running  from  the 
business  district  to  the  Ferry  and  for  the  reason  that  the  passenger  traffic 
Ferrp-hoiind  during  evening  rush  hours  originating  east  of  First  street  is 
so  light  as  to  make  it  undesirable  to  delay  the  main  line  by  stopping  at 
each  of  these  short  blocks. 

Plan  A.  In  this  plan,  the  average  running  distance  between  stops  is  454 
feet,t  and  on  the  average  a  running  speed  of  7.75  miles  per  hour  from  the 
Ferry  to  McAllister  street  can  be  maintained,  assuming  no  intereference  from 
vehicle  trafflc  and  an  average  stop  of  10  seconds  at  each  of  the  points  indi- 
cated. 

"Within  the  four-track  territory,  cars  moving  in  the  same  direction  on 
adjacent  tracks  are  shown  in  a  tandem  position,  based  upon  a  rule  of  the 
road  that  one  line  of  traffic  is  not  allowed  to  pass  another  in  the  same  di- 
rection while  loading  or  unloading.  This  will  unquestionably  be  a  source  of 
some  delay  under  trackage  Plan  A,  for  the  reason  that  outer  track  cars  will 
hold  up  those  on  the  inner  track,  and  vice  versa.  However,  in  the  case  of 
such  a  broad  street  as  Market  street,  it  would  seem  possible  and  necessary 

*For  each  unnecessary  stop  eliminated,  the  schedule  speed  can  be  increased  5.6  per 
cent,  under  San  Francisco  conditions,  assuming  that  cars  now  stop  at  every  corner 
averaging  440  feet  apart,  or  twelve  stops  per  mile.  The  average  distance  on  Market 
street  is  now  even  less  than  this. 

tThe  average  distance  between  present  stops  is  368  feet;  minimum  distance,  137 
feet;  maximum.  678  feet. 


1  6  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM. 

to  waive  this  rule  to  the  exteut  that  inner  track  cars  should  be  allowed  to 
continue  under  cautionary  running  past  a  car  loading  or  unloading  on  the 
outer  track.  This  will  afford  the  inner  tracks  a  certain  measure  of  relief, 
much  needed  by  virtue  of  the  fact  that  these  tracks  are  carrying  the  heaviest 
traffic.  Obviously,  this  rule  is  not  reversible,  and  in  all  cases  the  outside 
car  must  stop  while  the  inside  car  is  loading  and  imloading.  In  these  tan- 
dem stops,  the  outside  car  berth  is  shown  in  the  forward  position — that  is, 
leading  by  one  car  length — in  order  to  permit  access  to  the  rear  car  plat- 
forms. However,  the  forward  berth  will  in  any  case  be  occupied  by  the  first 
car  arriving  on  either  outer  or  inner  track,  in  order  that  the  next  arrival 
may  berth  in  the  tandem  position  shown  without  obstructing  streets  and 
established  lines  of  vehicle  traffic.  This  is  important,  as  100-foot  berths  are 
now  imder  consideration  in  lower  Market  street,  and  the  stop  signs  placed 
along  the  streets  for  the  guidance  of  passengers  should  be  located  with  refer- 
ence to  the  iorward  and  not  the  rear  berth. 

Plan  B.  Woi'king  out  this  same  idea  of  fixed  stops  with  trackage  plan 
B,  Figure  11  is  a  result.  Fortunately,  most  of  the  safety  stations  between 
tracks  may  be  located  nearly  or  exactly  opposite  the  triangular  plazas  exist- 
ing at  Geary,  Post,  Sutter,  Bush,  Pine  and  California  streets.  In  this 
arrangement  the  average  distance  between  stations  from  the  Ferry  to  Mc- 
Allister street  is  484  feet,  and  more  rapid  running  is  possible  along  the  lower 
end  of  Market  street,  north  of  Third  street,  by  reason  of  the  lengthened  and 
more  uniform  stops,  and  with  a  clear  street  a  schedule  speed  averaging 
eight  miles  per  hour  could  be  maintained.  This  plan  necessitates  a  consid- 
erable rearrangement  of  loops  at  the  Ferry,  the  spreading  of  which  would 
unquestionably  increase  loading  facilities.  This  subject  will  be  treated  in  a 
subsequent  report. 

The  spreading  of  tracks  that  will  be  necessary  to  accommodate  these 
safety  stations  can  be  worked  out  by  allowing  the  east  side  tracks  to  remain 
as  they  are  and  spreading  the  west  side  tracks  into  the  plaza  where  there  is 
ample  space  to  avoid  any  interference  with  vehicle  traffic.  Although  eight 
cars  are  shown  at  each  stop,  it  is  unlikely  that  such  a  condition  will  occur 
except  very  infrequently. 

Finally,  weighing  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  these  two  plans, 
in  my  judgment,  Plan  A  best  meets  the  present  necessities,  and  it  should 
be  put  into  immediate  effect  by  the  construction  of  the  necessary  track  and 
special  work.  Under  present  traffic  conditions  and  in  the  absence  of  a 
supplementary  rapid  transit  system.  Plan  B  is  objectionable  from  the  stand- 
point of  counter  traffic  flow. 

Shelters.  Owing  to  the  peculiar  conditions  resulting  from  the  diagonal 
street  intersections  north  of  Market  street,  it  is  desirable  that  adequate 
shelter  stations  should  be  erected  within  the  existing  triangular  plazas,  espe- 
cially at  California  street  where  the  California  street  line  terminates.  This 
shelter  may  simply  provide  seats  for  waiting  transfer  passengers,  or  may  be 
more  elaborate,  as  is  possible  in  the  large  plaza  at  Bush  street  and  Battery 
street. 

Ferry  Ix)op  Traffic.  No  detailed  recommendations  can  be  made  at  this 
time  with  reference  to  the  best  disposition  of  terminal  facilities  at  the  Ferry 
loop.  This  report  concerns  the  lower  Market  street  situation  as  far  as  The 
Embarcadero  only.     A  subsequent  report  will  cover  this  subject  of  terminal 


LOWER  MARKET  STREET  1  ^ 

facilities.  However,  after  a  study  of  ferry  traffic,  I  am  convinced  that  addi- 
tional reservoir  track  capacity  should  be  available  in  order  to  make  it  possible 
for  relay  cars  to  lay  over  for  incoming  boats,  and  that  more  adequate  and 
defimte  loading  facilities  should  be  provided  to  avoid  the  confusion  now 
existing.  Observations  during  the  morning  rush  hour  of  incoming  trans-bay 
passengers  indicate  that  within  a  space  of  four  minutes  following  the  land- 
ing of  the  several  ferryboats,  the  total  available  cars  passing  both  loops 
vary  from  ten  cars  per  boat  down  to  five  cars,  with  a  maximum  capacity  of 
about  600  passengers  per  boat,  to  carry  them  to  their  destination.  In 
some  cases  only  three  cars  per  boat  were  available.  At  present  this  is 
partly  unavoidable  owing  to  the  impossibility  of  anticipating  late  ferry 
arrivals.  During  the  two-hour  period  observed,  although  cars  reached  the 
ferry  loop  at  about  29  seconds  average  headway,  only  one  ferry  arrived 
on  schedule  time,  the  remainder  being  from  two  to  eight  minutes  late.  This 
illustrates  the  impossibility  of  serving  ferries  effectively  without  reservoir 
track  capacity  and  special  "shuttle"  or  transfer  routes  serving  the  ferries 
only. 

One  remedy  which  can  be  applied  immediately  to  the  relief  of  out-bound 
ferry  traffic  is  that  all  i)re-payment  cars  be  throicn  open  at  both  ends  for 
loading,  with  an  extra  conductor  at  the  forward  vestibule  to  receive  and 
register  fares.  This  method  of  relief  should  be  employed  during  all  periods 
of  heavy  trans-bay  traffic,  as  is  now  practiced  by  the  United  Railroads  during 
Sunday  excursion  traffic  at  the  Ferry  and  other  heavy  terminal  loading 
points.  And  until  passengers  are  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  double 
entrance  method,  inspectors  should  be  stationed  at  the  Ferry  loop  to  facili- 
tate this  double  loading  of  passengers.  The  saving  in  operating  car  hours 
during  the  day  would  go  far  toward  offsetting  the  additional  expense  of 
this  special  Ferry  service. 

In  conclusion,  I  can  recommend  a  reasonable  utilization  of  the  four 
tracks  on  lower  Market  street,  but  in  accommodating  Geary  street  and  other 
lines,  such  a  plan  must  be  worked  out  carefully  by  the  respective  operating 
departments,  in  order  to  preserve  the  proper  balance  between  inner  and 
outer  traffic,  or  there  will  result  worse  delay,  confusion  and  accidents  than 
at  present.  The  operating  problem  is  by  no  means  as  simple  as  it  appears, 
and  in  order  to  produce  the  most  effective  results  there  must  be  close 
co-operation  in  putting  into  effect  operating  rules  for  passenger,  car,  and 
vehicle  traffic. 

These  recommendations  are  to  be  considered  independent  of  any  plans 
which  I  shall  develop  later  with  regard  to  the  re-routing  of  the  entire 
system. 

Respectfully   submitted. 


Prepared   June   26,    1912.  Consulting   Engineer. 


1  8        SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM. 

APPENDIX 

lietailed  Discussion  of  Plans  A  and  B,  Stops,   and  Stations. 

in  the  recommend  Plan  A,  Figure  10,  and  also  Plan  B,  Figure  11,  several 
modifications  of  the  present  plan  of  stops,  Figure  12,  will  be  found.  These 
are  discussed  in  detail  below. 

Plan  A.  In-l)Oiind  Stops.  At  present,  stops  are  made  at  Fifth  street, 
west  side;  Fifth  street,  east  side,  and  intersection  stop  at  Eddy  street. 
One  of  these,  the  middle  stop,  has  been  eliminated,  and  the  safety  inter- 
section stop  made  use  of  as  a  loading  stop,  assisted  by  a  single-car  safety 
station  located  as  close  to  the  special  work  as  possible  so  as  to  permit  east- 
bound  vehicle  traffic  from  Powell  street  to  have  ample  passageway  west  of 
the  station. 

In-bound  stations,  as  a  rule,  are  not  as  necessary  as  out-bound  stations, 
for  the  reason  that  in-bound  passengers  immediately  disperse  to  the  side- 
walks, and  no  waiting  at  the  station  is  necessary.  However,  in  the  case  of 
Market  street,  a  special  condition  arises  owing  to  the  location  of  the  Ferry 
Building.  Below  Second  street,  it  is  found  from  observations  that  the  vast 
majority  of  ferry  patrons  walk,  but  from  this  point  westward  the  street 
cars  are  patronized  more  and  more,  the  heaviest  in-bound  loading  points 
during  the  rush  hours  being  at  Third  street  and  Powell  street.  Conse- 
quently, an  in-bound  station  has  been  located  at  the  latter  point,  and  the 
Third  street  in-bound  station  lengthened  to  permit  of  two-car  crossings. 

At  Fourth  street,  the  traffic  rules  would  ordinarily  dictate  that  Fourth- 
Stockton  street  traffic  should  cross  Market  street  at  right  angles.  However, 
on  account  of  the  offset  in  these  streets,  it  is  desirable  to  allow  this  traffic 
to  parallel  the  Ellis  street  tracks,  so  that  the  in-bound  stop  may  be  located  as 
shown.  East  of  Kearny  street  tandem  stops  must  be  provided  for,  the  first 
car  reaching  the  corner  to  take  the  forward  berth. 

At  First  street  the  "near  side"  rule  is  departed  from  in  order  to  secure 
a  better  distribution  of  stops  and  clear  the  First  street  thoroughfare  for 
vehicle  traffic  from  Battery  street,  which,  with  First  street,  is  an  extremely 
important  thoroughfare. 

From  First  street  to  the  Ferry,  stops  are  shown  only  at  alternate  streets. 
This  is  for  the  reason  that  these  blocks  are  short — only  275  feet.  And  it 
is  believed  that  this  part  of  the  in-boimd  run  should  be  freed  from  unneces- 
sary stops  in  order  to  leliver  passengers  as  promptly  as  possible  at  the 
Ferry.  Observations  show  that  in-bound  traffic  below  Second  street  is 
extremely  light,  so  that  the  elimination  of  these  intervening  stops  will  not 
work  any  serious  inconvenience,  considering  the  interests  of  the  vast  major- 
ity of  in-bound  passengers.  In  any  event,  the  maximum  distance  ferry- 
bound  passengers  from  Fremont  and  Main  streets  have  to  walk  to  reach  a 
car  stop  is  about  220  feet. 

If  it  should  appear  desirable  to  continue  "flag"  stops  at  every  in-bound 
crossing  during  the  morning  hours,  it  will  still  be  desirable  to  adhere  to  the 


LOWER  MARKET  STREET  19 

limited  stop  scheme  shown  hereon  for  the  afternoon  rush,  at  least  after 
4  o'clock,  when  approximately  six  times  the  number  of  passengers  travel 
ferry-bound  than  during  the  hours  of  morning  and  early  afternoon.  This 
change,  however,  may  result  in  some  confusion,  and  it  is  believed  to  be 
more  desirable  to  omit  the  extra  stops  altogether.  Plan  A  introduces  an 
average  distance  between  stops  that  is  less  than  three-fourths  the  length  of 
the  block  between  Jones  street  and  City  Hall  Square,  which  is  approximately 
1,000  feet. 

Out-hound  Stops.  Starting  from  the  Ferry,  out-bound,  it  is  believed  that 
the  Sacramento  street  stop  is  in  a  large  measure  unwarranted,  the  inter- 
section being  so  near  the  Ferry  terminal.  The  average  length  of  walk  from 
the  middle  of  the  block  to  the  first  out-bound  stop  is  not  excessive — 370 
feet.     However,  a  tentative  stop  has  been  shown. 

The  safety  station  in  the  plaza  opposite  Bush-Battery  streets  may  be 
retained,  as  it  does  not  interfere  with  traffic,  although  it  is  not  in  a  very 
effective  position  for  tandem  stops. 

As  above  mentioned,  the  First  street  line  should  "dead-end"  at  Market 
street,  and  not  cross  the  throat  tracks,  at  least  during  rush  hours.  This 
provision  need  not  necessarily  invalidate  the  status  of  the  franchise  of  this 
line. 

At  the  Sutter  street  branch-off,  Sutter  street  cars  should  berth  off  of  Market 
street. 

At  Second  street,  the  heavy  out-bound  loading  begins  and  the  "near  side" 
stop  is  shown  in  order  to  permit  proper  vehicle  crossings  and  to  avoid  an 
exceedingly  short  run  to  the  next  stop.  The  walking  distance  to  the  Second 
street  stop  from  the  intersection  of  Post  and  Montgomery  streets  is  prac- 
tically the  same  as  to  the  next  stop  west. 

The  present  station  in  front  of  the  Crocker  National  bank  must  neces- 
sarily be  abandoned  with  four-track  operation,  although  the  tandem  stop 
may  be  located  in  practically  the  same  position. 

At  Lotta's  Fountain,  Third-Kearny  streets,  the  station  must  be  enlarged 
for  a  two-car  stop.  This  point  is  the  heaviest  loading  point  along  Market 
street,  exceeding  even  the  Ferry  on  the  out-bound  trips.  Here,  two-car 
crossings  must  be  rigidly  adhered  to  on  signal,  and  railway  inspectors  should 
co-operate  with  the  traffic  squad  in  securing  prompt  transits.  It  may  even 
be  necessary  to  dispatch  cars  from  the  in-bound  and  out-bound  stations, 
respectively,  at  Third  street,  arhttrarihj  on  signal,  as  In  rapid  transit 
subway  service.  This  is  the  most  congested  intersection  in  the  city,  and  it 
may  be  desirable  to  install  a  railway  dispatcher  in  a  small  tower  at  the 
apex  of  Market  and  Geary  streets,  who,  relaying  the  traffic  signals,  will 
control  car  transits  by  means  of  semaphore  signals,  as  is  done  in  other 
cities. 

Owing  to  the  excessive  obstruction  of  pedestrian  traffic  along  the  north 
side  of  Market  street,  it  is  undesirable  to  stop  the  Third-Kearny  street  cars 
in  the  triangle  opposite  Lotta's  Fountain.  In  this  position  cars  completely 
interrupt  the  flow  along  both  Market  street  and  Geary  street  walkways. 
The  cross-town  cars  should,  therefore,  make  the  run  from  Third  street  to 
Kearny  street  without  stopping.  And  a  north-bound  stop  opposite  the 
Chronicle  building  will  be  more  desirable  than  to  attempt  an  additional 
stop  in  the  triangle.     To  secure  this  result,  relay  traffic  signals  must  be  put 


20  SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM. 

into  effect  so  as  to  control  the  Market  street  and  Geary  street  lines  simul- 
taneously. If  this  is  done  the  interruption  to  the  Marliet  street  tracks  will 
be  far  less  serious,  as  the  in-bound  Geary  street  cars  may  cross  to  their 
position  on  the  outer  tracks  while  loading  of  Market  street  cars  is  taking 
place  at  the  Lotta's  Fountain  station. 

The  present  safety  station  opposite  Stockton  street  should  lie  moved  to 
the  east  side  of  the  crossing,  as  shown.  Its  location  is  entirely  incorrect, 
being  too  near  the  Emporium  station  and  on  the  far-side  of  the  intersection. 
The  near-side  safety  stop  at  the  Ellis  street  tracks  should  be  used  for  loading 
purposes,  and  the  far-side  stop  eliminated.  As  Fourth  street  is  also  a 
heavy  passenger  loading  point,  a  two-car  station  is  desirable. 

By  reason  of  this  change,  the  station  opposite  Grant  avenue  should  also 
be  removed  to  the  near-side  position  and  extended  to  accommodate  two 
cars,  in  order  to  secure  a  more  even  spacing  of  stops.  In  this  position,  the 
Grant  avenue  station  will  be  of  additional  value  in  drawing  traffic  away  from 
the  Lotta's  Fountain  station  and  thereby  reducing  congestion  there.  Sit- 
uated approximately  midway  between  the  Call  and  Phelan  office  buildings,  it 
will  be  able  to  do  this  more  effectively  than  in  the  present  far-side  position. 

A  difficult  problem  exists  in  the  two  out-bound  stations  opposite  Powell 
street.  First,  the  westerly  station  is  unfortunately  located  directly  in  the 
line  of  all  street  traffic  between  Powell  and  Fifth  streets.  Second,  the  stop 
here  practically  amounts  to  a  far-side  stop,  whereas  the  near-side  safety  stop 
opposite  the  Flood  and  Emporium  buildings  should  be  utilized  for  loading 
purposes  at  this  intersection.  Third,  it  will  probably  be  desirable  in  the 
near  future  to  route  some  of  the  out-bound  cars  via  Mission  street,  return- 
ing to  Market  street  at  Fifth  street,  in  which  event  this  station  will  be 
unavailable  for  loading  and  transfer  purposes.  After  much  study,  it  appears 
desirable  to  move  this  station  westerly  to  a  position  approximately  midway 
between  Mason  and  Fifth  streets,  where  it  will  be  in  a  position*  to  receive 
this  Mission  street  loop  loading.  In  the  position  shown,  the  Mason  street 
station  will  require  a  walk  of  only  160  feet  from  the  Fifth  street  building 
line.  The  Flood-Emporium  station  may  then  be  moved  westerly  to  the 
Eddy  street  branch-off,  and  it  should  be  extended  to  accommodate  two  cars. 
In  this  position,  the  station  will  be  but  85  feet  distant  from  the  Powell 
street  building  line,  and  will  consequently  prove  more  convenient  for  trans- 
fer purposes  than  at  present.  However,  until  the  merits  of  tliis  change 
become  apparent,  the  present  westerly  station  may  be  retained  and  is  con- 
sequently indicated  hereon  as  "tentative." 

Plan  B.  In  the  alternative  Plan  B,  Figure  11,  the  station  stops  westerly 
from  Geary  street  are  indicated  in  the  same  position  as  in  the  previous 
Plan  A,  figure  10.  Commencing  at  the  Chronicle  building,  the  present 
United  Railroads  tracks  are  shown  diverted  to  the  east  side  of  the  street,  so 
that  no  car  interferences  with  the  Geary  street  line  will  be  encountered — 
similarly,  at  Sutter  street.  In  all  station  locations,  except  at  Davis-Beale 
streets,  the  spread  of  the  west  side  tracks  around  the  safety  station  occurs 
opposite  the  triangular  plazas,  so  as  not  to  reduce  the  width  of  roadway. 
Although  eight  cars  are  shown  at  these  points,  it  is  not  likely  that  such  a 
condition  will  occur  except  very  infrequently. 

On  this  plan,  the  protruding  corner  of  Sacramento  street  at  The   Embar- 


*In  this  position  the  station  will  be  available   for  direct  transfer  from   the   Turk 
and  Eddy  line,  whicli  turns  at  tiie  corner. 


LOWER  MARKET  STREET  21 

cadero  has  been  receded,  in  order  to  provide  additional  roadway  area,  much 
needed  for  both  car  and  vehicle  traffic.  It  will  be  observed  that  in  this 
position  Spear  street  may  now  be  used  to  much  greater  advantage  than  at 
present,  in  order  to  relieve  traffic  across  the  loop  throat. 

In  all  cases  free-way  for  vehicle  traffic  has  been  preserved  in  accordance 
with  established  traffic  rules. 

Present  Plan.  Figure  12  has  been  prepared  in  order  that  comparison 
might  be  made  between  the  present  plan  of  stops  and  the  two  alternative  plans 
presented  herein,  i.  e.,  disregarding  certain  trial  improvements  introduced 
by  the  traffic  force.  The  position  of  all  stops  are  shown  as  in  Plans  A  and 
B,  and  the  reasons  for  the  elimination  of  the  unnecessary  ones  will  become 
more  apparent  after  a  study  of  the  revised  schemes.  For  example,  both 
near-side  and  'far-side  stops  are  made  at  Sixth,  Fifth,  Fourth,  and  Third 
streets,  and  also  an  intermediate  stop  in  the  Lotta's  Fountain  triangle.  In 
this  present  scheme,  the  average  distance  between  stops  is  368  feet,  which 
is  19  per  cent  less  than  the  recommended  Plan  A,  and  24  per  cent  less  than 
tentative  Plan  B. 


BION  J.  ARNO;^ 


FIGURE    2— STUDY    OF    CAR    DELuVY,    MARKET     STREET. 


Study  of  cai-  delay  on  lower  Market  street,  representing  graphically  where 
the  congestion  occurs  along  Market  street,  as  shown  by  the  slov/ing  of  the 
schedule.  Note  the  hump  between  Sutter  and  McAllister  streets.  Minimum 
speed  3.2  miles  per  hour.  Average  results  from  160  oars  counted  during  evening 
rush  hour. 


BION  J.  ARNOLD 


0.5 


* FULL    ENTRANCE- 


FIGURE    3— STUDY    OF    CAR    LOADING    SPEED. 

Comparative  loading  time  of  various  types  of  cars,  including  the  newer 
Oakland  cars  with  movable  guide-rail.  For  average  group  of  passengers  at  Ferry 
and  on  Market  street. 


FIGURE  4 — POSSIBLE    TRACK    ARRANGEMENTS. 

Possible  track  connections  for  accommodating-  four-line  trafflr.  showing 
two  alternative  plans  for  minimizing  car  interference:  A,  parallel  tlow  plan  as 
recommended;  B,  counter  flow  plan,  avoiding  all  branch -off  crossings;  C,  parallel 
flow  plan,  avoiding  one  line  of  crossings. 


Proposed     two    car     safety    station 

FOR     tOADlNG     IN     TANDEM 


5hOWIN6    exit     forward     PDSmON  SmOWINS     exiT    NEXT    TO    BULKHEAD 


FIGURE    6— PROPOSED    SAFETY    STATIONS. 

Proposed  rearrangement  of  safety  station  for  accommodati'ig  two  cars 
simultaneously,  first  car  arriving  to  take  the  forward  berth.  Step  built  around 
outside   of  station  for  protection  to  waiting  passengars.     Seating  optional. 


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FIGURE    5— POSSIBLE    ARRANGEMENT    OF    SAFETY    STATIONS. 

Typical    cross-sections    of    street,    showing    possible    station    arrangements 
resulting  from  different  trackage  plans — A,  B  and  C. 


Car    step  clearance    at    safety    stations 

Actual    and     Proposed, 
scale-    i  inch  =  i  foot 

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FIGURE    7— STUDY    OF    CAR    STEP    CLEARANCE. 

Car   step    clearance   diagram,    showing   present   variation    in    step    clearance 
at  safety  stations  along  Market  street,  and  position  of  proposed  stations. 


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FIGURE  10— PROPOSED  PLAN  OF  STOPS   AND   STATIONS   FOR    MARJ<BT    STRKKT,    PLAN  A. 
This    plan    involves   rearrangement  of  some  of  tlie  present  safety  stations,    thereby  securing  bettor  dlstrlbutltm   of  servli-e.     "Near  side"   stops  only 
Flmtv  loop  terminal  Is  not  considered  in  this  study.     West  of  Sixth  street  a  brealc  Is  made  in  the  drawing  so  as  tu  include  McAllister  street. 


nplated.       Rearrangement    of 


REPORT 


ON 


Improvements  in  Rolling  Stock 


PART  I.-1912  MOTOR  CAR 
UNITED  RAILROADS 


BY 

BION   J.   ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  7 

Submitted  Aug.  21,  1912. 


REPORT 


ON 


Improvements  in  Rolling  Stock 


PART  I.-I912  MOTOR  CAR 
UNITED  RAILROADS 


BY 

BION    J.    ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  7 

Submitted  Aug.  21,  1912. 


IMPROVEMENTS  IN  ROLLING  STOCK 

PRELIMINARY   REPORT  NO.  7— PART  I. 
UNITED  RAILROADS  1912  MOTOR  CAR. 

Board  of  Supervisors, 

City  of  San  Francisco. 

Gentlemen : 

By  your  resolution  of  June  10,  1912,  you  desire  my  views  re- 
garding the  new  car  equipment  which  has  been  ordered  by  the 
United  Railroads  for  fall  delivery.  This  new  equipment  is  repre- 
sented by  general  drawing  URR-3763,  submitted  by  the  United 
Railroads  to  your  Board  in  response  to  your  order  for  submission 
of  same. 

Ultimately,  I  shall  make  recommendations  to  you  regarding 
the  design  of  all  car  equipment  and  for  a  future  standard  car  as 
well  as  for  improvements  in  certain  types  of  present  equipment 
calculated  to  better  serve  the  needs  of  the  passenger  traffic  in 
San  Francisco.  In  the  present  report  I  shall  confine  myself  to 
this  so-called  1912  car,  which  should  be  considered  from  two  stand- 
points : 

First,  whether  it  approximates  the  proper  standard  for  future 
equipment,  and  if  not. 

Second,  whether  it  is  suited  for  operation  on  certain  lines,  in 
its  present  form. 

Synopsis:  The  various  items  in  the  make-up  of  a  complete  car 
to  be  subjected  to  analysis  (from  the  standpoint  of  the  public) 
are  as  follows: 

(1)  Seating  arrangement. 

(2)  Facilities  for  quick  loading  and  unloading, 

(3)  Storage  space — platform  and  oar  floor. 

(4)  Car  proportions,  with  reference  to  street  clearance. 

(5)  Height  and  type  of  steps. 

(6)  Ventilation  and  lighting. 

(7)  Designating  signs. 

The  proportions  of  the  1912  car  are  practically  the  same  as  the 
later  equipment  now  in  service  on  Sutter  Street,  and,  excepting 


4  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

width,  also  approximate  the  proportions  of  the  Geary  Street  cars; 
that  is,  as  regards  truck  centers,  wheel  case,  length  of  body  and 
platform,  and  height.  The  arch  roof  nsed  (sometimes  called  the 
turtle-back  roof),  however,  is  new  to  the  United  Railroads  prac- 
tice, except  in  the  case  of  a  few  remodeled  cars  which  have  been 
built  in  the  Company's  shops  and  have  been  placed  in  service 
within  this  present  year.  And  except  in  the  case  of  these  few 
cars,  the  1912  design  embodies  for  the  first  time  in  a  San  Fran- 
cisco prepayment  car  the  "California"  type  arrangement  of  car 
body  Avith  closed  and  open  sections. 

Inasmuch  as  this  new  equipment  may  possibly  operate  on  the 
Sutter  Street  lines  in  competition  with  Geary  Street,  the  follow- 
ing comparison  will  be  of  interest.  Only  such  features  as  differ 
materially  from  the  Geary  Street  cars  or  require  further  modifi- 
cation are  compared  herein  for  discussion. 

Considering  these  two  designs  together  from  the  standpoint  of 
the  most  suitable  car  for  the  City  of  San  Francisco,  I  believe  the 
Geary  Street  is  superior,  although  even  it  may  require  some  minor 
modifications  as  a  result  of  experience  with  the  initial  order.  The 
two  differ  materially  in  the  matter  of  seating  arrangement  and 
width  of  car. 


Note:     For  description  of  illustrations  accompanying  report,  see  page  16.' 


ROLLING  STOCK 


COMPARISON  OP  DESIGNS. 


1.  Proportion   of  Cross 

Seats       to       Total 
Fixed   Seats 

2.  Lonjrituflinal    Seats 


o.  Average    spacing    of 

Cross   Seats 
4.  I'rinoipal      Standing 

Space 
n.  Seat   proi)ortions 
C.  Widtli  of  Aisle 


Gearv   Street 


Half  of  end  compart- 
ments on  entrance 
side. 

:!(>i/l.  inches  to  31 7/32 
inches. 

End  compartments,  op- 
posite entrance  way. 

IT  inches  by  34  inches. 

24  inches  minimnm.  28 
inches  at  shoulder 
line. 


United  Railroads 


7.  Width    i-eqnired    for    37^^   inches. 
Seat  Over-all 

S.  Width  iif  car  body      8  feet  (>  inches. 
0.  riatform  Side     sills     tapered     to 

provide    c-learance    at 
ciirves. 
10.  ^Minimum     rear     en-    40  inches, 
trance   width 


11.  Bulkhead  width 

12.  I'ositinn  of  exit  door 

13.  Minimum  exit  width 
-1^.  Guide  rail 


15.  Type  of   step 
IG.  Platform   fixtures 

17.  Window  sash 

18.  Storm        protection, 

open    section 
10.  Ventilators 

20.  Sanders 


Open  l)etween  corner 
posts  no  inches. 

Next  to  car-body  bulk- 
head. 

20  inches. 

T'ses  Oakland  radius 
bar  for  obtaining  full 
step  entrance.  Motor- 
man  protected  by 
movable    guide    rail. 

Folding  type,  raised  on 
I)lind   side   of  car. 

.Alaster  type  controller 
to  reduce  space  occu- 
pied. 

Raise  sash  in  closed 
sections. 

Drop  curtains. 

Autoniatic  eductors  in 
roof,  and  floor  in- 
takes. 

Positive  air  lilast  Sand- 
ers delivering  close  to 
wheel. 


45% 


Entire  closed  compart- 
ment. 

20  inches. 

Middle  or  closed  com- 
partment. 

in   inches   by   32   inches. 

About  38  inches  mini- 
mum between  seat 
hardware.  40  inches 
at  shoulder  line. 

35  inches  or  more,  de- 
pending upon  the  type 
used. 

0  feet  2  inches. 

Sides  kept  straight  be- 
cause fenders  limit 
clearance. 

32  inches,  due  to  con- 
traction of  hand-rail- 
ing, location  of  and 
difference  in  types  of 
controller. 

liaise  itartitions.  open- 
ing 53  inches. 

Next  to  car  bumper, 
with  seat  intervening. 

27  inches. 

Guide  rail  cut  off  at 
stanchion  to  permit 
full-width  entrance. 


Fixed  steps. 

Type  K  control  opposite 
narrowest  entrance- 
way. 

Sr.sh  fixed. 

None. 

Intak;-.  and  exhaust  fun- 
nels. 

Gravity  sanders. 


6  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

SUMIMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

The  improvements  which  I  am  able  to  recommend  depend  to  a 
large  degree  upon  the  service  intended,  as  suggested  in  the  intro- 
duction, i.  e.,  whether  this  new  equipment  is  intended  for  general 
use  in  all  parts  of  the  city,  i.  e.,  interchangeable  as  regards  routes, 
or  for  operation  on  certain  lines  only.  In  either  case,  I  should 
like  to  see  the  following  improvements  included : 

(1)  Taper  platforms,  to  provide  for  future  clearance  operation. 

(2)  Front  exit  gate  next  to  the  bulkhead. 

(3)  Straightened  guide  rail  to  provide  greater  entrance  width, 

or 
(3a)   Conductor's  stand  in  center  of  buUdiead  opening  and  elimi- 
nation of  present  form  of  guide  railing. 

(4)  Motorman  protected  by  movable  guide  rail. 

(5)  Geary  street  or  equivalent  seating  arrangement. 

(6)  Cross-seat  cushions  17"  x  34",  spacing  30  inches  or  more. 

All  cushions  spring  backed. 

(7)  Raise  sash  in  middle  or  closed  section. 

(8)  Bulkhead  open  between  comer  posts. 

(9)  Folding  steps  instead  of  fixed  steps. 

(10)  Storm  curtains  or  equivalent  protection. 

(11)  Ventilating  intakes  in  floor  or  sides  of  the  car. 

(12)  Positive  air  blast  sanders. 

(13)  More  liberal  spacing  per  passenger  for  longitudinal  seats 

where  vertical  stanchions  are  used  in  place  of  straps. 

For  a  future  standard  car: 

(14)  Over-all  width  8'  6",  track  centers  not  less  than  10'  2" 

(sidewalk  width  12'  on  68'  9"  street),  giving  two-line 
vehicle  traffic  on  all  streets. 

NOTE:     It  is  understood  that  the   United  Railroads  now  has 
in  contemplation  the  following  modifications  of  the  original  plans: 

1.  Moving  front  exit  gate  next  to  bulkhead. 

2.  Cleveland  arrangement  of  fare  box  and  guide  rail.     (See  p, 

11.) 

3.  Cross-seat  cushions  17"  x  34". 

4.  Bulkhead  posts  to  be  flared  back  to  increase  shoulder  width 

at  entrance. 

5.  Sliding  or  folding  step. 

6.  Storm  curtains,  if  satisfactory  on  Geary  street  cars. 

7.  Ventilating  intakes  if  found  necessary. 

8.  Removal  of  fare  box  from  entrance  way. 

9.  Vertical  stanchions  in  closed  compartment  set  out  to  knee  line. 
10.  Platforms  to  be  tapered,  when  improved  type  of  fender  is 

developed. 


ROLLING  STOCK  J 

DISCUSSION. 

Seating  Arrangement.  In  the  Geary  street  cars  I  have 
preferred  to  locate  the  principal  storage  space  in  the  open  section, 
while  the  reverse  is  true  in  the  United  Eailroads  design.  My  rea- 
son for  so  doing  is  in  recognition  of  the  fact,  which  I  have  deter- 
mined by  observation,  that  the  average  passenger  rides  less  than 
two  miles  along  a  given  route  before  alighting.  This  means  that 
the  short-haul  pa»ssenger  greatly  predominates,  and  consequently 
that  extra  space  must  be  provided  for  persons  disinclined  to  move 
forward  because  of  a  short  trip  ahead. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  United  Railroads  provides  this  extra 
storage  space  by  using  longitudinal  seats  in  the  closed  section  to 
encourage  people  to  move  forward  in  order  to  clear*  the  rear  part 
of  the  car  for  newcomers,  and  also  for  the  reason  that  during 
stormy  A\'eather,  longitudinal  seats  will  accommodate  the  maximum 
number  of  persons  desiring  to  be  protected.  However,  the  United 
Railroads  design  provides  no  sash  in  the  open  sections,  nor  storm- 
curtains,  as  does  the  Geary  street  car.  It  is  possible  that  the  storm 
curtains  for  the  latter  may  not  prove  a  perfect  appliance  for  this 
purpose,  but  in  the  absence  of  something  better  I  certainly  should 
not  consider  it  wise  to  spoil  such  a  good  seating  arrangement  as 
in  the  Geary  street  cars  on  account  of  a  short  period  of  inclement 
weather. 

One  method  that  occurs  to  me  of  encouraging  passengers  to 
move  forward  is  to  limit  smoking,  b.y  ordinance,  to  the  front  open 
section,  thereby  inviting  forward  a  fair  proportion  of  the  pas- 
sengers immediately  after  entrance.  The  serious  objection  to  the 
United  Railroads  layout  is  that  the  passengers  entering  the  car 
body  are  immediately  forced  into  the  center  of  the  aisle,  counter- 
current  to  those  passing  out  through  the  rear  exit.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  side  seat  plan  as  used  in  the  Geary  street  car  provides 
not  only  a  relatively  wide  passageway,  but  also  an  offset  aisle 
which  will  tend  to  separate  lines  of  entering  from  leaving  pas- 
sengers. 

Experience  in  other  cities  tends  to  show  that  longitudinal  seats 
do  not  attract  street  car  patrons — cross  seats,  quite  the  reverse. 
Consequently,  the  advisability  of  thus  using  all  longitudinal  seats 
in  the  center  or  closed  section  is  very  doubtful,  especially  with  so 
wide  a  car  as  here  proposed.  The  fact  that  riding  in  San  Fran- 
cisco is  extremely  short-haul  justifies  the  use  of  a  certain  percentage 
of  longitudinal  seats ;  but  they  should  be  placed  where  most  needed, 
and  in  this  respect  the  Geary  street  car  design  is,  in  my  judgment, 
the  more  desirable  for  the  present  ear.     The  best  that  can  be  said 


*As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  contraction  of  the  aisle  at  the  ends  instead  of 
the  center  tends  to  defeat  tlie  very  purpose  in  view  by  cliecliing-  free  forward 
movement  riglat   at   tlie    entrance. 


8  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

of  the  United  Railroads  seating  arrangement  is  tliat  it  is  a  consid- 
erable improvement  over  some  of  the  present  equipment,  with  the 
exception  of  the  so-called  Chicago  car,  which  may  be  identitied 
by  class  numbers  ]500  to  1549,  and  the  half  cross,  half  longitudinal 
seat  type,  represented  by  class  numbers  1550  to  1749.  In  the  latter, 
the  longitudinal  seats  run  as  far  as  the  center  of  the  car  on  the 
one  side,  then  for  the  remainder  of  its  length  on  the  other  side, 
thus  approximating  the  Geary  street  arrangement  except  for  the 
central  closed  section. 

Width  of  Car.  As  a  result  of  experience  and  observations 
in  Chicago  during  the  complete  rehabilitation  of  the  transit  system, 
it  would  seem  that  the  adherence  to  a  car  as  wide  as  9'  2"*  in  San 
Francisco  is  a  mistake,  provided  that  a  future  standard  is  under 
discussion.  If  all  of  the  streets  of  your  cit,v  were  of  the  generous 
proportions  of  those  of  the  business  district  south  of  JMarket  street, 
the  necessity  for  limiting  the  car  width  would  not  arise.  Unfor- 
tunately, however,  the  streets  of  the  50- Vara  district  and  Western 
Addition  are,  as  a  general  rule,  only  about  68'  9"  in  width.  And, 
still  more  unfortunately,  the  track  centers  have  been  standardized 
at  a  distance  of  11'  O^/o"  in  order  to  secure  an  ample  width  of 
"devil  strip" — 22yo  inches  between  cars.  This  width  undoubtedly 
represents  good  practice,  although  a  width  of  20  inches  is  some- 
times sufficient  where  street  Avidths  are  limited.  Unfortunately, 
again,  the  sidewalks  in  the  50-Vara  district  and  Western  Addition 
are  fixed  by  ordinance  at  15  feet  in  width,  which  is  too  great  to 
permit  two-line  vehicle  traffic  on  cadi  side  of  the  street.  In  order 
to  secure  reasonably  rapid  transit,  two-line  vehicle  traffic  is  abso- 
lutely essential,  to  enable  slow-moving  vehicles  to  keep  next  to  the 
curb,  rapid  vehicles  passing  between  them  and  the  car.  If  the 
usual  proportion  in  sidewalk  width  were  in  vogue,  viz. :  one-sixth 
of  the  width  between  building  lines,  the  sidewalk  would  be  ap- 
proximately lli/o  feet  wide.  Then  with  the  narrower  car — Si/o  feet 
in  width — and  a  20-inch  "devil  strip",  there  would  be  ample  room 
for  two  lines  of  vehicles  on  either  side.  Under  present  conditions 
two-line  traffic  is  impossible,  as  a  15-foot  sidewalk  only  permits 
a  single  line  of  vehicles.  Therefore,  at  the  present  time,  the  wider 
car  will  offer  practically  no  greater  obstruction  to  street  traffic 
than  the  narrower  car,  in  the  Western  Addition  district. 

It  is  entirely  possible,  however,  that  future  steps  may  be  taken 
to  reduce  the  width  of  sidewalks  in  order  to  clear  some  of  these 
streets.  And,  in  addition,  considering  the  new  streets  which  will 
be  improved  and  electrified  from  time  to  time,  it  is  not  too  early 
to  cstablisli  a  standard  which  will  make  these  things  possible.  Nar- 
rowing of  the  track  centers  in  order  to  require  less  of  the  roadway 


'Width  over  belt  rail  9  feet  2   inches,  over  body  9  feet. 


ROLLING  STOCK  9 

width  than  at  the  present  time  must  be  effected  to  carry  out  tliis 
plan.  This  can  only  be  done  gradually  on  extension  and  rehabili- 
tation work,  but  ultimately  the  entire  city  will  be  broujSfht  to  one 
standard. 

For  an  8'  6"  car  10'  2"  track  centers  may  be  used,  as  is  the 
present  standard  within  the  city  of  Chicago.  This  combination 
makes  available  18  inches  more  of  roadway  than  under  present 
conditions.  The  desire  of  the  I^^nited  Railroads  to  furnish  the  maxi- 
mum width  of  aisle  by  using  the  wider  car  is  indeed  laudable,  but 
when  it  is  considered  that  the  wider  car  is  obtained  at  the  expense 
of  narrowing  the  roadway.  I  cannot  recommend  it,  especially  when 
a  width  of  aisle,  28  inches  between  seat  backs,  has  proven  sufficient 
in  so  congested  a  city  as  Chicago. 

Seats.  The  seat  proportions  proposed  do  not  appear  to  be 
liberal  enough,  especially  for  so  wide  a  car.  For  comfort.  ciLshions 
should  be  17"  x  34",  and  all  seats  in  the  car  spring-backed.  This 
requires  a  longitudinal  spacing  of  at  least  thirty  inches,  preferably 
more.  In  the  1912  car,  tlie  dimension  of  the  closed  section  has 
resulted  in  cramping  the  spacing  of  cross  seats  in  the  open  sections 
to  29  inches.  This  should  be  increased.  The  size  of  the  closed 
section  is  determined  by  the  number  of  seats  and  the  spacing  al- 
lowed per  person.  Although  the  design  calls  for  17%  inches  per 
passenger,  which  is  fair,  the  effective  spacing  has  been  reduced 
by  the  provision  of  vertical  hand  rods  or  stanchions  at  alternate 
seats,  extending  from  the  floor  to  the  roof  at  the  seat  line.  These 
hand  rods  reduce  the  actual  spacing  between  stanchions  to  34 
inches,  which  is  not  sufficient  to  allow  two  persons  to  rise  together 
comfortably.  Moreover,  these  stanchions  in  the  present  position 
will  probably  prevent  uniform  seating,  inasmuch  as  there  are  no 
fixed  divisions  betweeen  the  seats.  They  require  six  inches  addi- 
tional length  in  the  closed  compartment,  which  if  applied  to  the 
open  compartments,  would  increase  the  seat  spacing  to  thirty 
inches — some  improvement  over  the  present  spacing. 

However,  where  longitudinal  seats  are  used,  these  stanchions 
are  desirable  in  place  of  straps,  for  the  assistance  of  standing  pas- 
sengers, and  if  covered  with  white  enamel  as  in  modern  rolling 
stock,  they  are  sanitary  and  convenient.  But  in  the  absence  of  a 
more  liberal  spacing,  thej^  should  be  set  out  at  least  to  the  knee 
line,  in  which  position  they  would  interfere  less  with  seated  pas- 
sengers, and  would  be  fully  as  convenient  for  standing  passengers 
as  in  the  present  plan.  Without  very  liberal  seat  space  per  pas- 
senger, partitions  must  be  used  between  seats  if  stanchions  are 
to  be  set  up  against  the  seat  line,  and  either  condition  requires  so 
much  extra  length  of  car  body  that  the  number  of  cross-seats 
in  the  open  sections  is  reduced  from  six  to  four.     Therefore,  with 


10  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

this  ear  body  I  should  prefer  the  standard  cross-seat  arrangement 
within  the  closed  section,  or  else  the  dimensions  should  be  so  modi- 
fied as  to  obtain  better  results  in  both  compartments. 

Length  of  Car.  This  is  limited  by  the  permissible  overhang 
of  platform  beyond  the  center  line  of  trucks,  and  that  of  the 
projecting  fenders  used.  On  general  principles,  it  is  desired  to 
increase  the  length  of  car  body  as  much  as  possible,  in  order  that 
the  proportional  cost  of  platform  wages  may  be  reduced  and  also 
the  relative  maintenance  of  parts.  But,  in  any  case,  the  platform 
overhang  is  the  serious  and  determining  factor,  especially  where 
narrow  streets  are  encountered,  owing  to  the  resulting  interference 
Avith  adjacent  car  and  vehicle  traffic  on  curves.  For  prepayment 
cars,  long  platforms  are  necessary,  and  in  order  to  reduce  the 
overhang  of  the  ends,  trucks  must  be  located  as  far  apart  as  possible, 
and  still  keep  the  center  overhang  within  reasonable  limits. 

In  the  case  of  the  1912  type  of  car,  the  proportions  have  been 
worked  out  to  secure  probably  as  good  a  design  as  could  be  pro- 
duced imder  the  conditions  existing  in  this  city.  The  distance 
between  truck  centers  and  car  platforms  is  practically  the  same 
as  in  the  Geary  street  car.  In  either  design,  the  end  overhang 
cannot  be  reduced  because  of  interference  of  trucks  with  the 
projecting  underhanging  platform  side  sills.  In  reasonably  fiat 
cities,  two-motor,  maximum  traction  trucks,  with  pony  wheels  ex- 
tending out  under  the  platform  can  be  used,  thus  decreasing  to 
some  extent  the  platform  overhang.  But  in  San  Francisco,  two- 
motor  equipments  are  impossible  on  account  of  the  greater  tractive 
effort  required  on  heavy  grades. 

The  only  remaining  method  of  reducing  car  overhang  is  by 
tapering  the  platform  so  that  the  corners  of  the  bumpers  describe 
an  arc  of  somewhat  shorter  radius.  In  this  respect,  I  cannot  rec- 
ommend the  1912  car,  because  of  the  fact  that  the  platform  has 
been  designed  of  the  same  width  as  the  car  body  on  the  assumption 
that  with  the  use  of  a  fender,  the  platform  actually  presented  less 
overhang  around  curves  than  the  corner  of  the  fender,  which 
now  prevents  clearance  operation.  But  even  assuming  that  this 
is  true,  it  should  not  be  assumed  that  the  present  type  of  fender  is 
to  be  permanent. 

Clearance  operation  is  very  essential  in  any  system  of  rapid 
transit,  surface  or  otherwise,  and  it  is  a  fact  that  through  the 
adoption  of  the  "Eclipse"  Fender,  specified  by  the  Board  of 
Supervisors,  the  clearance  operation  of  cars  around  curves  in  San 
Francisco  has  been  entirely  nullified.  Nevertheless,  I  feel  that  the 
development  of  a  new  car  for  either  present  or  future  should  not 
embody  this  purely  temporal  condition  and  render  clearance  opera- 
tion impracticable  or  dangerous.     Consequently,  tapered  platforms 


ROLLING  STOCK  1  | 

should  be  embodied  in  the  design.  The  only  alternative  is  for  the 
City  to  permit  the  spreading  of  tracks  at  curves  sufficient  to  clear 
present  fenders,  which  would  result  in  an  overhang  of  15  inches 
over  the  standard  curb  of  the  Western  Addition  district. t 

Platform  Arrangement.  Generally  speaking,  there  is  a  cer- 
tain relation  between  the  area  occupied  by  passengers  in  the 
car  body  and  that  of  the  platform;  i.  e.,  the  larger  the  car,  the 
more  platform  space  is  required.  Where  the  prepayment  prin- 
ciple is  used,  it  is  particularly  necessary  that  ample  storage  space 
be  available  on  the  platform  in  order  to  avoid  delaying  the  schedule 
due  to  slow  loading,  as  would  be  the  case  with  the  short  platforms. 
Moreover,  every  restriction  placed  in  the  way  of  free  entrance  of 
passengers  must  be  removed.  In  the  1912  car,  the  principal  dif- 
ficulty is  this  contraction  of  the  entrance  space — first,  by  cramping 
the  railing  into  the  entrance  passageway;  and,  second,  by  locating 
the  controller  directly  opposite  the  contraction.  There  are  three 
ways  of  improving  this  defect : 

First :  By  straightening  out  the  guide  railing  so  as  not  to 
cramp  the  entrance  way ; 

Second :    By  use  of  the  master  control  system ;  and 

Third:  By  placing  the  fare  box  next  to  the  bulkhead  and  in 
the  center  of  the  opening,  with  the  conductor  immediately  behind 
it  standing  on  the  car  body  floor.* 

With  the  remote  control  system,  only  a  very  small  master  con- 
troller box  is  necessary  on  the  platform,  while  the  actual  contact 
devices,  connected  thereto  by  an  electric  circuit,  are  all  located 
underneath  the  car. 

In  the  third  method  the  present  form  of  guide  railing  is  entirely 
dispensed  with,  the  ^ard  rail  for  the  fare  box  serving  the  purpose 
of  dividing  the  bulkhead  opening  into  entrance  and  exit  passages. 
In  this  manner,  the  entire  platform  is  open  to  passsengers  and 
the  congestion  at  the  entrance  entirel}^  eliminated. 

For  the  new  rolling  stock,  one  or  more  of  these  methods  should 
be  adopted ;  and  in  any  case,  the  front  exit  gate  should  be  removed 
from  its  present  location  next  to  the  bumper  to  a  position  next 
to  the  bulkhead.  This,  in  my  judgment,  is  more  desirable,  so  that 
passengers  may  alight  quickly  without  having  to  force  their  way 
through  standing  groups  which  at  present  congest  the  space  be- 
tween the  bulkhead  and  front  exit  gate. 


*  This  plan  is  at  present  in  operation  in  Cleveland. 

t  With  standai'd  spiral  easements  at  present  used  throughout  the  United 
Railroads  system,  the  1912  car  theoreticall>-  clears  on  curves  with  a  margin  of 
four  to  six  inches  on  the  wider  streets,  and  one  to  two  inches  on  the  narrower, 
exclusive  of  fender.  But  even  this  maximum  clearance  is  out  of  the  question  on 
account  of  the  possible  list  of  the  car  on  curves  from  various  causes,  such  as 
eccentric  loading,  depressed  i-ail,  worn  side  bearings,  failure  of  springs,  etc. 


12  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

By  iisiuo'  the  luastor  control  system  as  above  proposed,  and  with 
tlie  handrailing  straightened,  fully  50  per  cent  more  entrance 
width  will  be  available. 

An  advantage  of  the  proposed  location  of  exit  gate  next  to 
the  bulkhead  is  that  two  or  three  feet  of  length  may  be  saved  from 
each  two-car  safety  station*  along  Market  street.  At  Kearny  street 
station  particularly,  this  is  of  importance,  owing  to  the  difficulty 
in  securing  the  proper  length  of  station  without  interfering  with 
street  traffic. 

In  carrying  out  these  improvements,  the  bulkhead  should  be 
left  open  with  the  maximum  width  between  corner  posts,  in  order 
to  secure  ample  entrance  and  exit  space.  This  is  a  definite  advant- 
age of  the  so-called  "California"  type  of  car,  and  the  entrance 
and  exit  should  not  be  contracted  by  false  bulkheads  such  as  wire 
screens  or  vertical  railing. 

Loading.  San  Francisco  cars,  unlike  those  of  other  cities,  are 
called  upon  to  handle  two  entirely  different  classes  of  service : 
(1)  normal  street  traffic;  and  (2)  terminal  traffic  at  the  Ferry, 
and  it  is  the  difficulty  in  handling  large  groups  of  passengers  at 
terminals  that  has  occasioned  most  of  the  recent  criticism.  In 
my  judgment,  the  prepayment  is  by  far  the  best  system  of  opera- 
tion that  has  been  devised  thus  far,  but  it  must  be  perfected  for 
these  special  conditions  of  service. 

More  rapid  loading  at  points  of  congestion  can  be  secured  by 
the  use  of  a  radius  rod  in  the  guide  railing,  such  as  first  used  on 
the  Oakland  cars,  and  which  has  been  adopted  by  the  Geary  street 
car.  By  means  of  this  radius  rod,  the  entire  width  of  step  can 
be  made  available  so  as  to  increase  the  storage  space  at  entrance, 
and  thus  load  large  groups  of  passengers  more  promptly  than 
if  half  the  step  were  used. 

As  an  alternative,  the  radius  bar  may  be  omitted  and  the  hand 
railing  cut  off  about  24  inches  back  from  the  step,  in  a  measure 
accomplishing  the  same  purpose.  This  plan  is  now  in  use  on  some 
of  the  United  Railroads  cars. 

Still  another  method  of  accomplishing  the  same  result  is  by 
changing  the  position  of  the  conductor's  stand  from  the  platform 
to  the  entrance  of  the  car  body  as  previously  described  (page  11), 
and  by  the  elimination  of  the  present  form  of  guide  railing.  By 
this  arrangement  not  only  is  the  full  step  width  made  available 
for  entrance,  but  the  entire  platform  area  can  be  used  as  storage 
space  for  passengers  waiting  to  pay  their  fare. 

A  graphical  demonstration  of  this  relation  between  loading 
speed  and  width  of  entrance  is  afforded  by  Figure  VI,  based  upon 

*  Recommended  in  Report  No.   6. 


ROLLING  STOCK  1  3. 

observations  on  different  widths  of  entrance  at  the  step  line.  It 
will  be  seen  here,  that  the  long  platforms  of  San  Francisco  require 
approximately  27  per  cent  more  time  in  seconds  per  passenger' 
than  the  Oakland  car,  using  the  full  width  entrance  with  the  radius 
bar  swung  over  to  the  bulkhead. 

At  the  Ferry  and  other  heavy  terminal  points,  it  is  very  neces- 
sai'y  that  the  platforms  at  both  ends  of  the  ear  be  available  for 
prepayment  entrances.    This  may  be  accomplished  in  two  Avays : 

First:  By  turning  the  front  exit  gate  into  an  entrance  gate, 
in  which  case  only  half  of  the  full  width  between  posts  is  avail- 
able for  entrance  after  the  car  is  emptied. 

Second :  By  opening  the  blind  side  of  the  front  platform  for 
the  full  width  betw^een  posts  for  rapid  exit,  using  front  exit  gate 
for  entrance   only. 

Height  of  Steps.  The  height  of  steps  involves  man}-  more 
details  of  design  than  appear  upon  the  surface.  In  fact,  to 
eliminate  the  last  inch  of  height  may  require  the  redesigning  of 
the  trucks,  bolsters,  and  car  underframing.  Furthermore,  it  must 
be  recalled  that  any  figure  representing  height  of  step  is  subject 
to  considerable  fluctuation  due  to  the  following  causes : 

First:  After  usage,  the  truck  springs  show  a  tendency  to  set, 
which  may  amount  to  from  14  to  1/2  inch. 

Second :  Under  maximum  car  load,  the  springs  may  compress 
134  to  21/0  inches. 

Third:  Due  to  wear,  the  wheel  diameters  decrease  from  34 
inches,  new,  to  311/.  inches,  maximum  wear,  dropping  the  entire 
car  114  inches. 

Fourth :  Due  to  wear  of  side  bearings,  steps  may  vary  as  much 
as  one  inch  in  height. 

Fifth :    Permanent  sag  in  platform  underframing. 

Due  to  one  or  all  of  these  causes,  the  step  of  a  properly  designed 
car  may  drop  from  2  to  4  inches  from  its  position  when  new.  Were 
the  car  originally  designed  with  this  low  step,  wear  and  stress 
would  result  in  the  platform  lowering  to  a  point  where  it  would 
interfere  with  the  operation  of  the  trucks.  Consequently,  to  secure 
this  necessary  truck  clearance,  the  new  cars  must  be  designed  with 
proportionately  high  steps. 

The  1912  car  submitted  by  the  United  Railroads  appears  to 
show  careful  design  with  respect  to  this  step  height,  and  the  cars, 
when  new,  will  have  the  first  step  about  15  to  16  inches  from  the 
pavement,  which  may  eventually  be  reduced  to  12  inches  by  wear 
and  settling. 


14  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

In  the  Geary  street  car,  a  simple  device  was  made  use  of  to 
reduce  the  height  of  step  between  platform  and  car  body,  in  which 
the  car  floor  was  inclined  from  the  center  line  of  the  bolster  toward 
the  end  sill,  so  that  the  platform  step  is  two  inches  lower  than  it 
M^ould  be  with  the  level  car  floor.  It  is  understood  that  this  plan 
will  also  be  adopted  in  the  1912  car,  except  that  the  platform 
instead  of  the  floor  will  be  sloped  upward  two  inches  in  the  form 
known  as  a  ramp. 

I  regard  it  as  very  necessary  that  folding  steps  be  used  in  the 
place  of  fixed  steps.     The  object  of  the  folding  step  is  two-fold: 

First :  Lifting  the  steps  on  the  blind  side  of  the  car  will  tend 
to  discourage  persons  from  endeavoring  to  steal  a  ride,  and  thereby 
incur  the  liability  of  accidents,  as  is  the  case  when  the  steps  are 
down. 

Second:  This  practically  obviates  the  possibility  of  collision 
or  other  interference  with  passing  vehicles. 

With  the  large  number  of  overhanging  steps  now  being  oper- 
ated in  San  Francisco,  the  danger  from  these  two  sources  will  be 
appreciated.  In  some  prepayment  cars,  designers  have  even  gone 
to  the  length  of  automatically  raising  the  steps  when  the  vestibule 
door  or  gate  is  closed,  so  that  while  in  motion,  the  car  is  entirely 
stripped  of  steps  in  the  lowered  position.  Cars  of  this  type  may 
be  found  on  the  College  avenue  line.  Oakland,  and  in  Boston  and 
other  cities. 

Ventilation.  Without  having  positive  knowledge  of  the  oper- 
ation of  the  ventilating  funnel  shown  on  the  1912  car,  I  believe  it 
should  operate  with  fair  satisfaction  when  the  car  is  in  motion. 
The  principal  objection  I  find  is  that  there  is  no  provision  for  the 
ventilation  of  the  closed  section  while  the  car  is  standing  still,  and 
in  this  respect  the  Geary  street  car  is  superior,  in  the  use  of  floor 
intakes  by  means  of  which  natural  circulation  is  provided  for. 

It  is  unquestionable  that  the  fixed  sash  will  result  in  slightly 
lower  maintenance  expense,  but  there  will  be  times  when  it  will 
be  necessary  or  desirable  to  open  the  windows  of  the  closed  section. 
The  Gearj^  street  cars  have  raise  sash,  which  I  prefer  to  drop 
sash,  on  account  of  the  increased  cleanliness  and  the  fact  that  the 
decreased  thickness  of  wall  may  be  taken  advantage  of  for  increas- 
ing the  width  of  the  aisle. 

In  conclusion,  the  1912  United  Railroads  car  may  be  regarded 
as  a  step  in  the  right  direction,  and  in  general  a  considerable  im- 
provement over  any  of  the  types  at  present  in  operation  here.  It 
will  prove  fairly  satisfactory  for  certain  sections  of  the  city  where 
streets  are  wide  enough  to  accommodate  a  wide  car,  as  in  the  Mis- 
sion. 


ROLLING  STOCK 


15 


Some  features  are  quite  commendable,  such  as  the  use  of  the 
turtle-back  or  arched  roof  and  the  position  and  type  of  illuminated 
signs ;  also  the  lowering  of  the  steps  by  means  of  a  platform  ramp. 

But  if  the  design  is  intended  for  universal  use  throughout  the 
city,  or  a  standard  for  future  equipment  is  under  consideration, 
this  car  will  require  considerable  moditicatiou,  as  outlined  in  the 
preceding  discussion. 

Respectfully  submitted, 


C2 


^L 


Consulting  Engineer. 


Prepared  August  17,  1912. 


16  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

DESCRIPTION      (3F      ILLUSTRATIONS      ACCOMPANYING 

REPORT. 

Diagrams    of   Street    Sections — Present    and   Proposed    Ar- 
rangements Compared  in  Each  Diagram. 

I.  Standard  street,  50-Vara — Western  Addition  district.  Two 
car  lines  and  passenger  vehicles  only.  With  present  15-foot  side- 
walks, only  one  line  of  vehicle  traffic  possible.  With  narrower 
car  (i.  e.,  8'  6"),  and  sidewalk  reduced  to  12  feet,  two  lines  of 
traffic  are  possible.     This  condition  impossible  with  wider  car. 

II.  100-Vara — Mission  district,  with  standard  ordinance  width 
of  sidewalk — 19  feet — two-line  passenger  vehicle  traffic  possible 
only  with  narrow^  car.  In  this  district,  however,  the  sidewalks  have 
been  reduced  by  special  ordinance  on  most  of  the  important  streets. 

III.  Easiness  street,  50-Vara  district.  Two  car  lines  barely 
permit  single  line  traffic  for  freight  vehicles.  But  with  single  car 
track,  two-line  traffic  can  be  secured  by  reducing  the  sidewalk 
width  to  1-1  feet.  Two-line  mixed  traffic  impossible  with  either  car 
and  present  standard  width  of  sidewalk.  12-foot  sidewalk,  as 
proposed  in  I,  would  permit  two-line  freight  vehicle  traffic  with 
narrower  car,  but  hardly  with  wider  car. 

TV.  Business  street,  100-Vara  district,  showing  actual  side- 
walks. Two-line  mixed  traffic  possible  with  either  narrow  or  wide 
oar.  Nine  inches  greater  margin  or  clearance  with  narrower  car. 
This  shows  most  efficient  utilization  of  9'  2"  car  in  the  district 
where  wide  streets  occur,  such  as  IMission  street,  as  referred  to  in 
conclusion  of  this  report. 

V.  Heavy  trucking  street,  100-Vara  district.  Sidewalk  15  feet 
in  width,  as  established  by  ordinance,  does  not  permit  two-line 
vehicle  traffic  with  double-track  car  line.  By  reducing  sidewalk 
to  the  usual  standard — one-sixth  of  street  width — two-line  vehicle 
traffic  is  possible  with  narrow  car,  but  not  with  wide  ear.  This 
condition  typical  of  Howard  street,  which  has  been  set  aside  for 
heavy  trucking  through  the  Mission.  Using  the  present  standard 
track  centers — 11'  Oi/." — two-line  heavy  vehicle  traffic  can  only 
be  secured  by  cutting  sidewalk  to  13'  7"  for  the  narrower  car,  or 
13'  3"  for  the  wider  car. 


ROLLING  STOCK 


17 


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Figs.    1   to   5. 


18 


SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 


Effect  of  Entrance  Width  on  Loading  Speed  of  Car. 

VI.  Based  upon  observations  of  car  loading,  showing  the  rela- 
tive time  required  to  load  a  given  group  of  passengers  through  wide 
and  narrow  entrances.  For  comparisons  of  this  kind,  the  same 
sized  group  must  be  used,  otherwise  the  comparison  is  valueless. 
These  results  conform  in  character  to  similar  observations  made 
upon  different  sized  ears  in  Chicago.  The  data  shows  that  the 
largest  San  Francisco  platforms  now  in  use  require  27  per  cent 
more  time  in  seconds  per  passenger  than  the  Oakland  cars  using 
the  radius  rod. 

BION  J.  ARNOLD 


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REPORT 


ON' 


IMPROVEMENTS  IN  EXISTING 
ROLLING   STOCK 


TO  THE 


BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 
City  of  San  Francisco 


BY 


BION    J.   ARNOLD 

ConAultini;  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  7  —  Part  II 

Submitted  Jan.  20,  1913 


■7^ 


REPORT 


ON 


IMPROVEMENTS  IN  EXISTING 
ROLLING  STOCK 


TO   THE 


BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 
City  of  San  Francisco 


BY 

BION    J.    ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report    No.  7— Part  II. 

Submitted  Jan.  20,  1913 


Rlncon  Publishing  Company 


2S  Montgomery   Street,    San   Franclsoo 


IMPROVEMENTS    IN    EXISTING 
ROLLING    STOCK 

PRELIMINARY   REPORT   NO.   7— PART    II.  ' 

Board  of  Supervisors, 

City  of  San  Francisco. 

(Jentlemen: 

Supplementing  Part  I  of  this  report  concerning  the  design 
of  the  new  United  Railroads  motor  car,  I  herewith  submit  an 
anah'sis  of  the  general  arrangement  of  the  present  rolling  stock, 
with  detailed  recommendations  by  which  the  present  car  bodies 
may  be  retained  in  service  for  some  years  to  come,  and  still  be 
made  more  useful  to  the  Company  and  also  more  useful  and  com- 
fortable to  passengers,  especially  with  reference  to  rapid  loading 
and  unloading,  which  as  I  have  pointed  out  in  previous  reports,  is 
so  extremely  necessary  in  San  Francisco. 

Appended  hereto  you  will  also  find  a  supplemental  report  on 
brakes,  in  which  the  relative  size  and  age  of  the  various  types 
of  cars  have  guided  me  in  my  recommendations  as  to  the  extent 
of  the  changes  desirable. 

The  rolling  stock  may  be  best  analyzed  by  class  or  type,  as 
designated  by  serial  numbers  printed  upon  the  ends  and  sides  of 
tlie  car  bodies,  so  that  they  may  be  identified  on  the  street.  Sketches 
of  the  recommended  changes  and  alterations  are  appended  hereto. 
The  most  important  classes  to  be  considered  are  those  having  drop 
platforms,  of  M'hich  nearly  330  out  of  a  total  of  557  double-truck 
cars  are  now  operated.  The  company  is  to  be  commended  for  its 
adoption  of  the  more  convenient  drop  platform  as  a  standard  in- 
stead of  the  flush  platform',  in  spite  of  the  greater  cost  and  weight 
and  the  widespread  use  of  the  flush  platform  type  in  neghbor- 
ing  cities. 

SUMMARY  OF  CONCLUSIONS  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS 

1.  The  three  improvements  essential  to  the  electric  car  equip- 
ment are:  (a)  an  increase  in  platform  loading  capacity;  (b) 
better  unloading  facilities;  (c)  improved  seating  arrangement. 
To  secure  the  principal  result,  there  are  only  two  alternatives — 
either  lengthen  the  platform,  or  else  remodel  the  platform  fixtures 
and  remove  the  end  bulkhead ;  possibly  both  will  be  advisable  in 
some  cases.  These  changes  1  believe  will  result  in  increasing  the 
speed  tof  passenger  movement  at  least  25%. 

Note — For  exhibits  accompanying  report  see  Page  6. 


4  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

2.  Observations  under  different  conditions  consistently  indi- 
cate that  the  time  consumed  in  stops  for  loading-  and  unloading 
is  entirely  too  great.  Entrance  passages  should  be  enlarged,  par- 
ticularly on  the  short-platform  cars,  and  at  least  the  full  width  of 
the  entrance  step  (i.  e.,  from  the  outer  grab  handle  to  the  stanchion) 
should  lie  preserved  in  tlie  platform  passageway  as  far  as  the  last 
step  or  entrance  door  into  the  car  body.  This  result  may  be  accom- 
plished by  changing-  the  shape  of  the  guide  railing,  and  on  the 
shorter  platform  cars  by  moving  the  controller  to  the  right,  away 
from  the  entrance.  (In  the  100  class  the  latter  is  not  necessary, 
since  great  improvement  is  possible  by  alteration  of  the  guide  rail- 
ing alone.) 

3.  Inasmuch  as  the  use  of  the  prepayment  fare  box  is  estab- 
lished, end  bulkheads  should  be  removed  to  provide  the  addi- 
tional entrance  way  made  neeessaiy  by  this  method  of  fare  collec- 
tion (except  in  the  100  class,  which  already  have  a  wide  ])ulk- 
head  opening).  In  this  manner  a  "('alifornia"  type  car  may 
readily  be  developed  by  locating  the  bulkheads  within  the  car 
body,  forming  a  closed  central  section  with  open  end  compart- 
ments. 

4.  If  a  fare  box  is  to  be  used,  the  eliniination  of  the  end  l)ulk- 
head  is  essential,  but  in  this  case  moving  the  controller  to  the 
side,  although  desirable,  will  not  be  absolutely  necessary.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  the  fare  box  is  not  used,  it  will  be  unnecessary 
to  take  out  the  end  bulkhead,  since  moving  the  controller  will 
provide  considerable  platform  space.  In  any  case,  the  clear  en- 
trance way  to  the  ear  body  should  generally  exceed  24  inches. 

5.  Lengthening  of  platforms  is  preferable  if  the  cars  are  in 
sufficiently  good  condition  to  warrant  the  expenditure ;  but  the 
change  would  not  be  worth  w^hile  unless  each  platform  could  be 
lengthened  at  least  12  inches.  If  none  of  these  improvements 
are  carried  out,  the  short  platform  cars  should  be  retired  to  out- 
lying or  cross-town  service,  Avhere  traffic  is  lighter. 

6.  The  closed  section  of  the  "California"  type  cars  should 
have  cross  seats,  but  in  the  end  compartments  the  maximum 
amount  of  storage  space  should  l)e  provided  to  accommodate 
short-haul  riders.  This  necessitates  the  use  of  a  longitudinal  seat 
on  that  side  of  the  car  where  passengers  enter,  as  in  the  Geary 
street  design.  In  the  all-enclosed  box  car,  100  class,  at  least  50'/( 
of  the  seating  capacity  should  be  in  cross  seats  arranged  as  in  the 
loOO  or  looO  types  instead  of  the  present  all-longitudinal  plan. 

7.  During  stormy  weather,  protection  by  windows  or  cur- 
tains must  be  provided  in  the  "California"  type  ears  for  passen- 
gers using  the  open  sections,  otherwise  more  than  half  of  the 
seating  capacity  of  the  ear  is  rendered  unavailable  at  such  times, 
when  maximum  capacity  is  demanded  by  the  excessive  rush  hour 
loading. 


ROLLING   STOCK  5 

8.  In  cars  from  which  the  end  bulkheads  are  not  removed, 
such  as  the  100  class,  the  stanchion  in  the  middle  of  the  door 
opening  should  be  set  out  six  or  eight  inches  from  the  end  sill 
to  increase  the  entrance  and  exit  passagewaj^s. 

9.  The  ''Cleveland"  fare  box  frame  as  hereinafter  described 
will  provide  the  maximum  storage  space  on  short  platform  cars 
using  this  method  of  fare  collection.  If  the  fare  box  is  not  used, 
the  present  type  of  guide  railing  altered  in  shape,  may  be  re- 
tained, but  any  rail  of  this  type  should  be  cut  off  at  least  24 
inches  from  the  step  or  provided  with  the  "Oakland"  radius  rod 
in  order  to  make  the  entire  step  available  for  emergency  loading. 

10.  Any  form  of  guide  railing  or  fare  box  stanchion  should 
be  movable,  so  as  to  be  located  behind  the  motorman  on  the  for- 
ward end  to  protect  him  from  interference  by  standing  passen- 
gers during  surges  of  the  car,  at  the  same  time  clearing  the  for- 
ward platform  of  obstructions. 

11.  Rapid  unloading  at  the  forward  end  should  be  facilitated 
by  the  following  means:  (a)  Removal  of  the  stanchions  now  divid- 
ing the  door  opening  (unless  bulkheads  are  removed)  so  as  to 
give  a  less  obstructed  exit  way;  (b)  moving  the  exit  gate  next 
to  the  bulkhead  in  order  that  passengers  alighting  will  not  have 
to  force  their  way  through  a  crowded  platform.  This  will  also 
have  the  effect  of  decreasing  the  necessary  length  of  safety  sta- 
tions on  the  street;  (c)  providing  a  gate  at  least  30  inches  wide 
and  of  a  type  such  as  a  sliding  gate,  which  does  not  interfere 
with  passengers  standing  on  the  platform. 

12.  All  cars  should  be  provided  with  automatic  folding  steps 
at  the  forward  exits,  and  lift  steps  at  the  rear  entrances.  With 
all  steps  raised  except  that  under  the  conductor's  control,  acci- 
dents will  be  greatly  reduced. 

13.  On  the  flush-platform  "California"  type  cars  (700  class) 
the  principal  improvements  that  should  be  made  include  the  re- 
modeled guide  railing,  storm  curtains  in  the  open  sections,  and 
a  seating  arrangement  approximating  the  IMunicipal  car  plan, 
except  that  in  such  a  narrow  car  two  rows  of  cross  seats  should  not 
be  used  in  the  closed  section ;  also  the  projecting  steps  on  these 
cars,  or  any  other  type,  should  be  replaced  by  automatic  folding 
steps  to  prevent  accidents. 

14.  On  the  1300  class,  the  platforms  should  be  lengthened 
and  the  car  converted  into  the  prepayment  type  if  it  is  to  be 
operated  on  any  important  lines.  The  reconmiendations  made 
for  the  700  class  will  all  apply. 

15.  Power  brakes  should  be  used  on  all  double-truck  equip- 
ment especially  that  operating  within  the  congested  districts. 
The  expense  of  new  brake  installation  on  cars  that  have  been 
in  service  10  years  or  more  would  not  be  warranted,  but  such 
equipment  should  be  immediately  retired  to  outlying  districts. 


6  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

16.  Cable  ears  of  the  Powell  Street  lines  should  have  additional 
capacity,  and  these  short  cars  should  be  immediately  converted  into 
the  "California"  type  by  the  addition  of  another  open  section. 
Double  end  operation  should  be  provided  for,  together  with  the  re- 
moval of  turntables,  especially  at  the  end  of  Powell  Street.  In  the 
design  of  new  cable  equipment,  the  adoption  of  the  prepayment 
center  entrance  type  should  receive  serious  consideration,  with  the 
object  of  reducing  accidents  and  obstructions  of  streets. 

17.  For  hill-top  lines  encountering  long  grades  much  in 
excess  of  10  or  12^ ,  a  special  type  of  car  should  be  developed,  of 
light  construction  and  equipped  with  power  track  brakes  such  as 
the  magnetic  type ;  this  car  to  be  from  35  to  40  feet  in  length  and 
seating  about  36  people. 

Respectfully  submitted. 


Consulting  Engineer. 


Prepared  January  10,  1913. 


EXHIBITS  ACCOMPANYING  REPORT. 

Table  1.     Relative  weights   of  equipment. 

Table  2.     Schedule  of  rolling  stock.  United  Railroads. 


Figure  1.     Platform  and  seating  plans. 

Figure  2.     Loading  speed  of  forward  and  rear  platforms. 


ROLLING   STOCK 


GENERAL  DISCUSSION. 

The  United  Railroads  at  the  present  time  operates  on  its  various 
lines  a  total  of  620  electric  ears,  which  may  be  divided  into  four 
grroups : 

1.  Modern  cars  either  designed  as  or  later  converted  into  the 
prepayment  type : 

Class  1500-1549  50  closed  body,  diwp  platform. 
Class  1550-1749  199  closed  body,  drop  platform. 
Class  101-180  80  closed  body,  drop  platform. 
Class     700-719       20  rebuilt  "California"  type,  flush  platform. 


Total 349 

2.  Modern  cars  now  operated  non-prepay :  ; 
Class  1300-1425     123  "California"  type,  flush  platform. 

3.  Various  old  types  almost  entirely  obsolete,  and  nearly  ready 
to  be  retired  from  service  unless  rebuilt. 

Classes  500,  600,  700,  1000  and  1100—63  single-truck  original 
' '  California ' '  type  cars.* 

Classes  681-698,t  731-745.  1001-1024—55  double-truck  original 
"California"  type,  flush  platform. 


Total 118 

4.     Interurban  cars : 

Class         1-12       12  closed  56-seat  interurban  cars. 
Class  1225-1244  18  closed  48-seat  suburban  cars. 

Total 30 

Of  these  four  groups,  (mly  the  first  two,  both  of  which  are  cov- 
ered in  Fig.  1,  Mill  be  dealt  with  in  detail.  The  third  group  consists 
of  cars  which  have  been  in  service  so  long  that  extensive  improve- 
ments in  them  would  hardly  be  warranted,  unless  they  be  rebuilt. 
The  ears  listed  under  this  head  are  operated  at  present  on  lines 
south  of  Market  Street  for  the  most  part,  and  as  fast  as  new  rolling 
stock  is  added  these  should  be  retired  to  lines  where  the  traffic  is 
lighter. 

Loading  Time.  The  relatively  slow  loading  of  the  various 
types  of  San  Francisco  cars  has  already  been  emphasized  in  previou.v. 
reports  on  lower  Market  Street  congestion  and  on  service,  and  the. 

•These   have   been   renumbered   601-663. 
tBodies   may   be   rebuilt   for   prepay  operatian. 


8  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

results  of  several  hundred  observations  are  entirely  consistent  in 
showing-  that  the  attempt  to  apply  the  prepayment  principle  under 
the  uniLsually  severe  loadinf>-  conditions  of  San  Francisco  to  a  car 
with  short  platform  and  constricted  entrance  has  not  been  a  success. 
It  is  a  fact  that  on  care  of  different  platform  length,  the  relative 
loading  speed  is  practically  i)roportional  to  the  length  of  the  avail- 
able entrance  step,  until  the  platform  storage  space  is  entirely 
taken  up,  providing  no  further  obstniction  is  interposed  in  the 
line  of  incoming  passengers. 

Under  the  loading  conditions  in  Chicago,  v^^hich  are  not  more 
severe  than  the  terminal  and  ilarket  Street  loading  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, a  platform  8'  4y./  in  length  was  provided  for  a  car  body 
of  about  the  same  size  as  in  this  city,  giving  a  clear  entrance 
width  of  40  inches.  But  with  the  abrupt  vertical  grades  and  nec- 
essary platform  overhang  in  San  Francisco,  the  present  operating 
company  has  established  a  platform  length  somewhat  shorter — 
7'  4".  If  this  length  were  taken  advantage  of  to  the  fullest  ex- 
tent, as  has  l)een  done  in  the  Municipal  Railway  car.  it  would  be 
sufficient. 

A  study  of  Fig.  3.  Reports  0  and  11.  has  developed  the  fol- 
lowing facts : 

1.  For  loading  conditions  in  San  Francisco,  sufficient  stor- 
age space  should  be  provided  on  the  platform  to  accommodate 
an  average  group  of  10  and  a  maximum  of  25  passengers  Avaiting 
to  pay  their  fare.* 

2.  For  average  gir)ups  of  10  passengers,  the  loading  time  for 
the  best  of  the  San  Francisco  cars  is  27.5%  slower  than  the 
latest  equipment  operated  in  Oakland,  and  for  the  short  platform 
tyi)es  65%  slower,  or  twice  as  slow  as  the  standard  cars  of  Chicago. 

3.  In  spite  of  its  undoubted  advantages,  the  introduction  of 
fare  box  collection  has  resulted,  with  the  same  railing,  in  slow- 
ing up  the  loading  materially.  p]ven  with  properly  shaped  rail- 
ings this  would  occur,  principally  due  to  the  necessary  reduction 
of  storage  space  and  entrance  passageway  (which  are  already 
too  small  on  these  cars),  as  well  as  to  the  delay  incident  to  mak- 
ing change. 

In  Report  Xo.  6  it  was  recommended  that  at  terminals  and 
heavy  loading  points  the  front  exit,  as  Avell  as  the  rear  entrance 
gate,  .should  be  used  for  loading,  with  extra  conductors  stationed 
at  these  points  to  receive  additional  fares.  This  plan  has  been 
put  into  operation  by  the  United  Railroads  with  very  satisfactory 
results,  and  the  tt)tal  tinie  of  tenninal  loading  has  now  been  reduced 
to  a  point  practically  equivalent  to  that  of  the  Chicago  standard  car 
loading  along  the  street  hi)  the  usual  rear  entrance. 


*The  Municipal  Railway  cars  are  now  carrying  from  20  to  2.5  passengers  on  the 
rear  platform. 


ROLLING   STOCK  9 

•  Observations  show  (Fig.  2)  that  although  the  front  gate  re- 
quires 25 7(;  more  time  to  load  than  the  rear,  the  total  loading  is 
reduced  to  about  one  second  per  passenger.  In  other  words,  by 
this  expedient  the  present  short  platform  ear  has  increased  in 
loading  speed  by  one-third. 

However,  for  the  average  street  loading  conditicms,  the  speed 
is  neces.^arily  slower,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  line,  for  the  reason 
that  passengers  alighting  at  the  rear  end  use  part  of  the  platform 
step,  so  that  for  e(iual  conditions  the  San  Francisco  car  loading 
at  both  ends  is  about  one-third  slower  than  tiie  Chicago  standard 
loadin^r  at  the  rear  end  only. 

Thus  far  the  results  of  the  new  ^Municipal  car  indicate  that  the 
principles  herein  expressed  are  correct,  and  that  by  the  provision 
of  ample  storage  space  the  loading  speed  of  these  cars  imder  normal 
conditions  will  probably  approximate  that  of  the  long  platform  cars 
used  in  Chicago. 

GROUP   I— PREPAYMENT. 
Class  1500  (1500-1549),  Fig.  1   (B). 

These  so-called  "Chicago"!  cars.  50  in  number,  are  a  closed 
body,  44  seat,  prepay  car  weighing  52,000  pounds,  built  by  the 
American  Car  Company  and  purchased  from  the  Chicago  City 
Railway  Company  in  1906.  The  body  is  32'  4"  long — practically 
the  same  as  the  Municipal  car — but  SY  2"  wide.  The  platforms 
are  only  6'  81/2"  long  from  sill  to  bumpers,  and  are  slightly 
tapered. 

The  cars  were  originally  designed  for  non-prepay  operation, 
and  Avere  consequently  provided  with  comparatively  short  plat- 
forms. When  they  were  converted  to  the  prepay  type,  the  plat- 
forms Avere  not  lengthened,  resulting  in  a  constricted  entrance 
which  is  the  cause  of  most  of  the  present  diffictdty  in  their  oi)er- 
ation.  In  the  rebuilding  of  this  same  car  in  Chicago,  platforms 
were  lengthened  to  over  8  feet  and  further  tapered  to  enable 
cars  to  pass  on  curves. 

Platform  Arrangement,  The  most  obvious  remedy  for  the 
loading  difficulties  in  this  1500  class  is  to  lengthen  the  platforms, 
and  this  should  be  done  if  it  is  found  that  the  age  and  condition  of 
the  cars  warrant  the  considerable  expenditure  incident  to  such  an 
alteration ;  otherAvise  they  should  be  kept  out  of  the  congested 
district. 

In  any  case.  Avhether  or  not  it  is  considered  expedient  to  make 
this  change,  the  present  platform  equipment  should  be  re-arranged 
so  as  to  provide  the  maximum  storage  space  for  entering  passen- 
gers, at  the  point  Avhere  it  is  most  desirable,  viz.,  opposite  the  en- 


tThis  i.s  an  entirely  different  ciiv  from  the  standard  developed  1),\-  the  Board 
of  Supervisins  Ensineers,  CiiL'Uso  Traction,  vvliicli  is  only  S'  6"  wide  and  designed 
for  10'  2"  trafk  centers. 


10  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

trauc(\  The  present  coiistrieted  entrance  is  due  to  two  defects — 
the  shape  of  the  j^iiide  rail,  and  the  position  and  type  of  the  con- 
troller. 

The  clear  space  of  2-i^/."  provided  at  the  step  is  almost  im- 
mediately contracted  upon  entering  the  platform  to  20y^"  between 
the  controller  and  the  uuide  rail.  This  space  is  totally  inadequate 
for  h)adin<?  any  considera])le  groups  of  passengers,  as  it  provides 
practically  no  storage  space  on  the  platform  \There  most  needed — 
i.  e.,  for  passengers  waiting  to  pay  their  fare.  Consequently,  the 
passengers  are  forced  to  enter  in  single  file,  and  it  is  necessary  for 
the  car  to  remain  at  a  full  stop  until  all  l)ut  the  last  three  or  four 
passengers  have  paid  their  fare. 

There  are  two  ways  of  improving  this  situation : 

(1)  By  flattening  the  guide  rail  and  by  moving  the  step 
stanchion  so  as  to  divide  the  step  width  into  a  26-inch  entrance 
and  23-ineh  exit  space. 

(2)  By  locating  the  controller  and  motorman's  stand  at  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  vestibule. 

These  improvements  provide  the  best  arrangement  possible  with 
the  present  platforms,  by  eliminating  entirely  the  narrow  throat  in 
the  entrance  passage  and  giving  ample  storage  space. 

In  general  it  appears  that  the  logical  place  for  the  motorman's 
stand  in  a  short  platform  prepayment  car  is  at  the  side  if  a  type 
K  controller  is  used.  The  shorter  the  platform,  the  more  desirable 
does  this  position  become.  This  arrangement  is  objected  to  on  the 
ground  that  the  motorman  will  be  unable  to  watch  vehicle  clearance 
as  well  from  the  side  as  he  can  from  his  present  position.  This  is 
unquestionably  true  regarding  vehicles  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the 
car,  but  on  the  other  hand  he  will  have  a  better  view  of  those  on 
the  right-hand  roadway,  where  the  ma.jority  are  to  be  found  in  ac- 
cordance with  police  regulations. 

Guide  Rail.  In  order  to  accommodate  exceptionally  large 
groups  of  passengers,  such  as  are  encountered  at  the  Ferry  ter- 
minal, it  is  desirable  to  make  use  of  the  entire  46  inches  of  clear 
step  width  for  entrance.  The  TTnited  Railroads  has  sought  to 
accomplish  this  result  on  its  later  cars  by  cutting  off  the  guide  rail 
about  17  inches  back  from  the  step  stanchion.  This  is  a  great 
improvement  over  the  former  design,  but  to  realize  the  full  benefit 
of  the  step  width  this  distance  should  be  at  least  24  inches. 

Another  method  of  accomplishing  the  same  result  is  by  the  em- 
ployment of  a  radius  rod  similar  to  the  one  used  at  present  in  Oak- 
land. This  provides  a  means  of  closing  the  i"ear  exit  if  neces- 
sary, and  at  the  same  time  forms  a  guide  rail  for  all  passengers 
entering. 

Bulkhead  Opening.     The  bulkhead  or  entrance  door  open- 

inu'  o!  the  150!)  class  ciir  is  40  inches  wide,  which  provides 
onlx-   2()-in("h   exit    and   entrance   spaces.      The   use   of   a    fare   box 


ROLLING  STOCK  11 

still  further  reduces  the  rear  exit  space  to  18  inches.  Since  a 
single  file  of  passengers  past  the  fare  box  is  desirable,  this  con- 
dition is  most  serious  due  to  the  constricted  exit  space  which 
greatly  retards  unloading  from  the  forward  end. 

These  passageways  should  be  increased  by  the  remcal  of  the 
bulkheads  from  the  end  to  the  inside  of  the  car  body,  thus  divid- 
ing it  into  a  middle  closed  section  and  two  open  end  sections  as  in 
the  Municipal  car.  With  the  windows  dropped  in  the  end  sections, 
this  would  provide  practically  a  "California"  type  car,  which  is 
very  desirable  for  the  San  Francisco  climate.  These  windows 
would  then  be  available  for  storm,  protection. 

If  the  present  bulkheads  are  removed  and  it  is  desirable  to  use 
a  fare  box  on  the  short  platform  cars,  probably  the  best  arrange- 
ment of  platform  (Hpiipment  is  to  place  the  fare  box  directly  be- 
hind the  stanchion  with  the  conductor  standing  between,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  1.  This  arrangement  is  in  use  at  present  in  Cleve- 
land on  long  jilatform  cars,  and  makes  av.tilable  for  storage  space 
more  of  the  platform  area  than  any  other  typ':  of  railing  in  use.* 

Unloading.  For  obvious  reasons,  it  is  desirable  that  unload- 
ing be  done  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  that  passengers  be  en- 
couraged to  use  the  forward  exit.  To  this  end  all  possible  ob- 
structions in  the  exit  passageway  should  be  removed.  The  com- 
paratively long  time  required  to  unload  these  cars  at  present 
(often  as  much  as  I'/o  seconds  per  passenger)  is  due  to  three  con- 
ditions : 

1st.  The  division  of  the  door  opening  by  a  fixed  stanchion 
usually  results  in  the  use  of  only  one-half  of  the  available  width 
— i.  e.,  20  inches  in  this  car. 

2nd.  After  reaching  the  platform,  passengers  usually  have  to 
force  their  way  through  groups  standing  on  the  platform  to 
reach  tlie  forward  exit  gate. 

3rd.  The  width  of  the  exit  gate  opening — only  24  inches — is 
insufficient  for  passengers  alighting  in  groups. 

The  first  defect  may  be  remedied  by  the  removal  of  the  end 
bulkheads  as  previously  recommended,  or  by  the  substitution  of 
a  short  movable  stanchion  for  the  present  fixed  stanchion  run- 
ning from  fioor  to  roof,  which  will  entirely  clear  the  door  opening 
at  the  forward  end  of  the  car. 

The  second  defect  is  due  to  the  position  of  the  forward  exit 
gate  next  to  the  bumper.  This  gate  should  be  placed  next  to  the 
bulkhead  as  in  the  Municipal  and  Oakland  cars,  in  which  position 
the  obstruction  of  the  main  exit  passageway  would  be  largely 
removed.     0])jection  may  be  made  to  such  a  position  of  the  exit 


♦This  Cleveland  arrangement  consists  of  a  three-sided  railing  just  large 
enough  to  surround  the  tare  box  at  a  height  sufficient  to  afford  a  convenient 
graV)  handle.  Preferably,  it  should  be  jointed  .so  that  it  may  be  conveniently 
straightened  and  set  into  floor  sockets  behind  the  motorman  for  his  protection 
as   in   the  otlier   types   of   movable   tailing   suggested    herein. 


12  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

gate  on  the  jrround  that  the  motorman  cannot  watch  the  step  as 
easily  as  at  present,  thus  increasing  the  possibility  of  accidents. 
On  the  contrary,  the  very  fact  that  the  motorman  must  turn  to 
Avatch  the  gate  affords  additional  security  that  he  will  not  start 
the  car  mitil  the  gate  is  cleared. 

An  additional  necessity  for  the  location  of  the  front  exit  gate 
next  to  the  bulkhead  arises  from  the  fact  that  the  length  of  the 
safety  stations  along  ^Market  Street  may  be  reduced  21/0  to  3 
feet,  with  a  corresponding  reduction  in  the  obstruction  of  the 
street  by  these  long  platforms.  This  is  critical  at  Lotta's  Foun- 
tain, where  a  two-car  station  is  absolutely  essential.  Here,  in 
order  to  avoid  interfering  with  intersecting  lines  of  vehicle 
traffic,  the  length  of  the  station  is  limited  by  the  curb  lines  to  96 
feet,  which  will  just  suffice  with  the  proposed  location  of  the  exit 
gate. 

The  pres(nit  exit  gate  is  as  wide  as  it  is  possible  to  make  a 
single-leaf  sliding  gate  on  a  platform  such  as  provided  in  the  1500 
class.  But  this  exit  opening  should  be  widened  at  least  to  30 
inches  l)y  the  use  of  a  folding  gate,  or  a  two-leaf  sliding  gate. 
This  is  particularly  necessary  at  the  Ferry  and  other  terminals 
where  it  is  desirable  that  cars  be  able  to  load  and  unload  simul- 
taneously at  each  end.  The  method  recommended  in  Part  I  of 
this  report  of  opening  the  forward  left  hand  pantograph  gate 
full  width  for  exit  is  as  applicable  to  the  present  rolling  stock  as 
to  the  proposed  ucav  car. 

Seating  Arrangement.  The  seating  arrangement  in  these 
cars  is  the  best  to  be  found  in  any  of  the  United  Railroads  rolling 
stock  and  conforms  closely  to  that  of  the  standard  car  now  used 
in  Chicago.  If  the  bulkheads  are  removed  to  the  inside  as  reeom- 
mendedj  either  the  present  seating  arrangement  may  be  retained 
or  that  of  the  Municipal  car  may  be  used.  Avith  the  result  shown 
in  Fig.  1. 

Class  1550  (1550-1749),  Fig,  1    (C). 

These  200  cars  were  purchased  from  the  St.  Louis  Car  Com])any 
in  1907,  and  are  in  operation  at  the  present  time  over  many  of  the 
most  important  lines  in  the  city.  They  are  of  the  same  type  and 
have  the  same  general  dimensions  as  the  1500  class,  excepting  that 
the  platforms  are  tapered  and  are  still  shorter — lonly  6'  6"  over  all. 

The  platform  arrangement  is  practically  identical  with  the  1500 
class,  and  is  of  course  open  to  the  same  objections.  All  of  the  im- 
provements suggested  for  the  former  type  apply  equally  Avell  te 
the  1550  class.  However,  the  narrow  side  window  in  the  vestibule 
of  these  cars  will  have  to  be  widened  if  the  controller  is  moved  to 
the  side.  The  extra  cost  of  the  alteration  makes  it  more  desirable 
t;)  remove  the  end  bulkhead,  but  if  this  latter  change  is  not  made. 
t   e  2'-.  -t:-:)'ler   -.jcuUl  be  moved. 


ROLLING   STOCK  13 

The  general  seating  plan  adopted  in  the  latest  of  the  1550  class 
ears  is  good,  except  that  the  cross  seats  provide  only  36%  of  the 
total,  as  compared  Avith  73%  in  the  JMnnicipal  car,  and  64%  in 
the  1500  class.  More  cross  seats  were  not  put  in  on  the  ground  that 
it  would  constrict  the  aisle  at  the  center  of  the  car.  However, 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  a  still  narrower  aisle  is  at  present  in  suc- 
cessful use  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  it  does  not  appear  that  much 
trouble  would  be  encountered  from  this  source.  Therefore,  at  least 
half  of  the  total  should  be  in  cross  seats. 

The  last  of  the  cars  converted  to  the  prepay  type  have  the 
longitudinal  seat  placed  opposite  the  entrance  space,  which  is 
good  design,  and  it  is  imderstood  that  all  remaining  cars  will  be 
rearranged  in  this  manner  during  the  annual  overhauling. 

New  Car  Bodies. .  The  above  recommendations  will  apply 
if  the  car  is  to  be  operated  in  its  present  form.  All  of  these  cars, 
however,  are  about  10.000  lbs.  heavier  than  the  more  modern 
equipment  now  ron  order,  and  it  may  be  that  the  saving  in  ]K)wer 
and  maintenance  resulting  from  the  use  of  a  lighter  car  will  justify 
replacing  the  present  bodies,  since  the  trucks,  motors,  and  control 
are  in  good  condition.  In  any  event,  tliese  heavy  cars  should  only 
be  used  on  the  most  level  routes. 

Class  100  (101-180),  Fig.  1    (A). 

These  80  cars  are  of  the  closed  body,  -l-l-seat,  prepayment  type 
purchased  in  1911.  having  approximately  the  same  body  dimensions 
as  the  two  types  previously  discussed,  and  weighing  46,000  pounds. 
They  have  7'  4"  tapered  platfjrms,  being,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  rebuilt  cars,  the  only  ones  owned  by  the  United  Railroads  orig- 
inally  designed  for  prepayment  operation. 

The  platform  congestion  in  these  cars  may  be  relieved  by  adopt- 
ing several  of  the  suggestions  made  for  the  previous  types.  Al- 
though moving  the  controller  is  desirable,  it  is  not  so  necessar^^ 
in  this  type  since  an  increase  in  the  passage  width  of  fully  35% 
may  be  obtained  by  altering  the  guide  rail  alone,  or  using  the 
"Cleveland"  rail. 

The  seats  provided  on  this  class  are  entirely  longitudinal,  a 
tyi)e  which  seems  hardly  justified  in  so  Avide  a  car  (9'  2")  since 
ample  aisle  space  can  be  secured  with  cross  seats.  At  best,  longi- 
tudinal seats  are  too  unpopular  to  encourage  free  riding,  and 
shoiild  be  avoided  if  possible — particularly  in  cars  Avhich  operate 
over  severe  grades.  The  seating  arrangement  should  be  altered 
so  as  to  approximate  either  the  :\Iunicipal.  1500  or  1550  class 
layout.  Avith  at  least  50%  cross  seats. 

The  type  of  exit  gate  used.  Avhile  closing  flat,  unfortunately 
takes  up  considerable  platform  space  AA'hen  opened,  very  often 


14  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

striking  passengers  waiting  to  get  off.  It  should  be  altered  so 
as  to  remove  this  defeet.  or.  preferably,  should  be  replaced  by  a 
sliding  gate,  since  the  platforms  are  long  enough  to  permit  a 
fairly  large  exit  opening.  In  either  case,  this  gate  should  be 
placed  next  to  the  bulkhead. 

Class  700  (700-719). 

The  cars  of  this  class,  20  in  number,  are  of  the  "California" 
prei)ayment  type.  Avith  flush  or  continuous  platforms.  They  were 
rebuilt  by  the  United  Railroads  from  former  cable  ear  under- 
framing.  These  cars  are  only  8'  2"  wide — -the  narrowest  of  all 
the  prepay  equipment  operated  in  the  city.  Cross  seats  are  used, 
nevertheless. 

While  ample  space  is  provided  on  the  platforms,  the  entrance 
passage  is  reduced  from  34  inches  at  the  step  to  2-1  inches  at  the 
controller  due  to  the  shape  of  the  guide  rail.  By  flattening  this 
rail,  a  uniform  entrance  width  of  34  inches  may  be  obtained,  and 
still  leave  sufficient  room  for  an  exit  passageway  and  for  the 
conductor. 

The  seating  arrangement  is  much  the  same  as  is  proposed  for 
the  United  Railroads'  new  car,  and  is  open  to  the  same  objec- 
tions*, which,  however,  are  much  more  pronounced  here  on  account 
of  being  a])plied  to  a  narrower  car.  If  any  more  of  these  cars 
are  built,  the  seating  plan  should  provide  half  cross  seats  on  the 
inside  section.  And  the  open  sections  should  be  arranged  similar  to 
the  Municipal  cars  to  afford  greater  storage  space  opposite  the 
entrance. 

The  type  of  compressor  used  is  not  well  adapted  for  suspension 
beneath  the  car  floor,  and  in  the  position  shown.  Fig  1  (F),  the 
least  obstruction  to  much-needed  floor  space  will  result.  Similarly, 
sand  boxes  should  be  located  so  as  not  to  consume  valuable  storage 
space  at  the  entrance  step,  as  at  present.  The  position  under  the 
seat  shown  in  Fig.  1   (F)  will  serve  the  purpose. 

There  is  now^  no  protection  for  passengers  on  the  outside  sec- 
tions during  inclement  weather.  As  in  the  other  "California" 
type  cars,  windoAvs  or  storm  curtains  are  necessary  in  the  open 
sections. 

The  steps  on  the  700  class  project  8Vj  inches  beyond  the  car 
body,  resulting  in  an  over-all  width  laf  9'  7",  exceeding  the  largest 
car  body.  They  should  be  changed  to  the  automatic  folding  type 
if  the  cars  are  to  be  run  along  business  streets,  but  in  any  case, 
the  projecting  steps  are  most  undesirable  as  they  are  a  fruitful 
source  .of  accidents. 

*Diseussed  in  Part  I  r.i  tliis  report. 


I 


ROLLING   STOCK  15 

GROUP  II— NON-PREP  AY. 
Class  1300  (1300-1424),  Fig.  1    (F). 

These  cars,  .123  in  number,  are  of  the  "California"  Hush  plat- 
form type  with  entrances  located  next  to  the  clused  compartment. 
They  were  purchased  in  1903  and  1904  from  the  St.  Louis  Car 
Company.  As  at  present  arranged,  they  are  not  adapted  to  the 
short-haul  riding  found  in  San  Francisco,  since  very  limited  plat- 
form storage  space  is  provided.  Consequently,  passengers  stand 
directly  in  the  entrance  and  exit  passageway,  necessarily  rasulting 
in  very  slow  loading  and  unloading.  Further,  the  motorman 
cannot  watch  the  exit  easily,  which  is  more  important  in  a  non- 
prepayment  than  in  a  prepayment  car.  where  a  closed  gate  protects 
the  exit. 

It  is  desirable  that  these  cars  be  converted  into  the  prepay 
type.*  This  may  be  done  without  altering  the  body  under-framing, 
but  preferably  by  extending  each  platform  two  or  three  feet  and 
changing  the  steps  to  the  forward  position.  The  recommenda- 
ti(ms  for  the  700  class  apply  equally  to  this  1300  class. 

Union  Street  Cars. 

The  present  cars  of  the  Union  Street  line  are  entirely  inadequate 
for  proper  service  on  any  important  thoroughfare  or  trunk  line. 
They  are  of  the  .same  type  as  the  single-track  cars  operated  on  the 
less  important  lines  of  the  United  Railroads,  such  as  Sixth  and 
Sansome,  Visitacion  Valley,  etc.  The  principal  deficiency  is  in 
motor  capacity,  which  makes  it  necessary  tci  ascend  the  long  grades 
on  the  series  position  of  the  controller,  resulting  in  an  average  speed 
of  only  6.9  miles  per  hour. 

If  the  additional  trackage  recommended  in  Report  10  on  Ex- 
tensions is  constructed,  it  will  be  possible  to  operate  standard 
Municipal  Railway  equipment  on  the  low-level  sections  of  this 
Union  Street  line  via  Steiner  and  Greenwich  Streets,  in  addition 
to  hill  service  over  the  present  route. 

In  any  event,  it  will  probably  be  desiral)le  to  design  a  special 
double-truck  car  of  the  "California"  type  for  hill-top  service 
throughout  the  city  on  such  lines  as  Union  Street,  comprising  the 
lightest  possible  construction  and  ample  motor  and  brake  capacity. 
Such  a  departure  from  the  standard  type  adopted  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  city  is  believed  to  be  unavoidable. 

Owing  to  the  extreme  grades  and  the  sharp  vertical  curves 
encountered  on  the  Union  Street  line,  it  is  prol)alile  that  a  car  from 
35  to  40  feet  in  length,  seating  about  36  passengers,  would  be  most 
suitable. 

*U  i.«  umlerslood  tlmt  this  rt'constriu-tion  is  al)'eai1\-  untler  conpidei-ation. 


16  SAN    FRANCISCO    TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

Cable  Cars. 

The  "('{ilifornia"  type  cai's  now  operated  on  the  Sacramento 
and  Castro  Street  lines  are  comparatively  .satisfactory  in  general 
arrangement,  although  their  weight — 14.000  pounds — is  rather  high 
for  cable  equipment.  On  the  other  hand,  the  cars  used  on  the 
Powell  Street  route,  carrying  a  heavier  traffic  than  any  other  cable 
line  in  the  city,  are  the  smallest  on  the  system,  and  are  totally 
inade(iuate  for  the  traffic.  The  Powell  Street  cars  should  be  changed 
at  (mce  to  the  "California"  type  similar  to  that  used  on  California 
and  Sacramento  Streets,  and  should  be  equipped  for  double  end 
operation,  thus  eliminating  the  turn-tables,  especially  that  on  Powell 
Street,  which  constitutes  an  unwarranted  obstruction  to  traffic  on 
a  very  important  thoroughfare  already  too  narrow. 

These  changes  will  necessitate  the  addition  of  a  second  open 
section,  and  possilily  the  shortening  of  the  present  one  in  order 
to  keep  the  length  and  weight  of  the  car  within  reasonable  limits. 
It  is  essential  that  there  be  an  entrance  on  each  side  of  the  car  at 
either  end,  and  these  passageways  should  be  at  least  24  inches  wide 
instead  of  the  single  18-inch  space  now  provided  on  the  open  end  of 
the  present  Powell  Street  car.  Also  the  clear  width  of  door  open- 
ings in  the  closed  section  should  be  increased  from  20  inches,  as  at 
present,  to  at  least  26  inches. 

The  general  design  of  the  car  operated  by  the  California  Street 
Cable  Railway  seems  to  be  well  suited  to  conditions  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, especially  in  the  matter  of  ^veight — 11,000  lbs. — which  proba- 
bly represents  the  minimum  for  a  car  of  this  size. 

It  is  possible  by  the  adoption  of  the  center  entrance  plan,  to 
produce  a  prepayment  cable  car.  In  this  case  the  gripman  will 
have  to  be  placed  on  the  side  and  the  grip  operated  by  rods  in 
some  such  manner  as  in  the  present  California  Street  cars.  Present 
indications  are  that  cable  traction  will  remain  a  necessity-  on  the 
heavier  grades  of  San  Francisco  hill  lines.  An  effort  should 
therefore  be  made  to  perfect  such  a  design  for  future  cable  c(|uip- 
ment.  But  it  should  be  stated  that  as  a  cable  car  can  only  operate 
at  a  fixed  maximum  speed,  and  thus  cannot  make  up  much  lost 
time,  the  delays  resulting  from  the  prepay  plan  may  beoome  serious 
unless  especially  large  storage  capacity  be  made  available  at  the 
entrances.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  original  "California"  type 
car  can  load  faster  than  any  other  now  used  in  San  Francisco. 

REPORT  ON  BRAKE  EQUIPMENT. 

The  subject  of  brake  equipment  is  one  receiving  attention  in 
all  lara-e  cities,  and  widely  diverse  opinions  are  held  as  to  the 
proper  type  of  brakes  for  various  classes  of  rolling  stock. 

In  San  Francisco,  air  brake  equipment  is  used  on  all  electric 
cars  with  the  exception  of  80  double  truck  and  68  single  truck  cars 


ROLLING   STOCK  17 

of  the  oriurinal  "California"  type.  This  does  not  include  the  cable 
cars,  all  of  which  are  equipped  with  hand  wheel  and  track  brakes. 
Of  the  equipment  now  controlled  In-  hand  brakes,  the  double-truck 
cars  weigh  from  32.000  to  8-4,000  pounds  equipped,  but  without 
jiassenger  load;  and  the  sintrle-truek  types  weigh  alwut  14,000 
])0imds  equipped;  double-truck  cars  operated  by  air  brakes,  from 
38,000  to  80.000  pounds,  equipped.  In  analyzing  the  accident 
account  of  street  railways  operating  hand  and  air  brake  cars  in 
some  of  the  large  cities  of  the  country,  it  appears  that  there  is  a 
more  or  less  clearly  defined  line  which  constitutes  a  practical  limit 
for  the  operation  of  these  two  types  of  brake  equipment,  and  there 
are  involved  the  factors  of  type  and  weight  of  car.  scheduled  speed, 
character  of  territory  traversed,  kind  of  street  tratfic  encountered, 
prevalence  of  ])ad  rail  conditions,  etc..  so  that  it  is  impossible  to 
establish  a  definite  limit  for  universal  application.  The  standard 
Chicago  car  with  air  brake  equipment  is  able  to  stop  within  a 
distance  of  145  feet,  under  maximum  brake  application  when  run- 
ning at  the  maxinuim  motor  speed — about  24  miles  per  hour. 

Comparative  braking  tests  in  New  York  City,  made  upon  a 
car  weighing  38.000  pounds,  and  running  at  a  speed  of  about  17 
miles  an  hour,  showed  an  average  braking  distance  of  114.2  feet 
for  air  brakes,  and  141.6  for  hand  brakes.  The  minimum  distance 
observed  was  105  feet  for  air.  and  128  feet  for  hand  brakes.  This 
means  that  the  air  brakes  stop  the  car  within  2.8  lengths,  and  hand 
brakes  within  3.5  lengths.  Recent  discussion  of  this  subject  re- 
sulted in  an  order  issued  by  the  Public  Service  Conunissiou  of 
the  First  District  to  equip  all  double-truck  surface  passenger  cars 
weighing  over  37.000  lbs.  with  power  brakes  and  geared  hand 
brakes,  which  order  was  further  modified  with  the  intention  that 
in  the  future  all  new  equipment  should  he  furnished  with  both 
power  and  hand  brakes.  This  order  midoubtedly  contemplated  the 
exclusive  installation  of  double-truck  cars  operating  within  the 
city. 

In  San  Francisco,  those  cars  Avhich  are  not  equipped  with  power 
brakes  have  two  types  of  lever  hand  brakes:  (1)  wheel  brake, 
(2)  track  brake.  The  track  brake  undoubtedly  gives  additional 
security  over  the  ordinary  hand  wheel  brake.  Moreover,  the  hand 
brake  ears  are  of  the  older  styles,  and  will  unquestionably  be  re- 
tired in  the  near  future.  Consequently,  it  is  not  a  justifiable  ex- 
pense to  equip  all  of  these  older  cars  with  air  brakes.  If  any  line 
may  be  drawn,  I  would  recommend  that  the  single-truck  cars  be 
allowed  to  run  with  their  present  brake  equipment  and  also  any 
double-truck  ears  now  in  service  that  have  had  more  than  ten 
years'  wear. 

All  of  these  ears,  however,  should  be  kept  oft'  of  the  principal 
thoroughfares  and  should  be  used  on  the  outlying  lines,  where 
the  densitv  of  the  street  traftic  is  a  minimum.     I  understand  the 


18  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

practice  lof  the  operating  company  is  to  \ise  power  brakes  on  all 
cars  over  33.000  lbs.  in  weight,  equipped,  which  is  satisfactory. 
If,  however,  it  is  determined  to  operate  any  new  cars  of  lighter 
Aveight,  I  should  still  recomlmend  that  power  lirakes  be  used  on  all 
double-truck  equipment. 

Track  Brakes.  For  so-called  hill  lines,  where  the  neces- 
sities of  routing  require  operation  over  grades  much  in  excess 
of  10-12%.  I  believe  that  it  would  be  hazardous  to  attempt  to 
operate  a  fast  schedule  without  the  assistance  of  some  form  of 
power  track  brake,  especially  for  a  large  car  of  40  seats  or  more 
Avhich  will  probably  Meigh  in  excess  of  40,000  lbs.  Although  it  is 
true  that  in  San  Francisco,  climatic  conditions  are  such  that  a  clean 
rail  is  usually  available  on  which  air  brakes  would  be  safe,  yet  the 
occasional  occurrence  of  slippery  rail  and  the  danger  of  over- 
running stops  through  too  rapid  coasting  do-WTi  grade  invites  seri- 
ous accidents. 

The  magnetic  track  brake  has  been  developed  for  meeting  just 
such  conditions,  and  I  should  recommend  that  careful,  study  be 
given  to  this  farm  of  equipment  with  a  view  of  applying  it  to  these 
hill  lines,  as  it  has  been  successfully  applied  in  other  cities — Los 
Angeles,  Portland,  and  Seattle — with  grades  as  high  as  14%  and 
standard  heavy  cars.  Although  this  ])rake  equipment  now  includes 
a  separate  controller  on  the  platform,  it  is  believed  that  this  oould 
be  modified  by  locating  the  brake  controller  beneath  the  platform 
or  car  body  in  order  to  clear  the  platform  of  the  additional  ob- 
struction which  would  arise  fnam  having  two  controllers. 

This  magnetic  track  brake,  with  its  latest  improvements,  un- 
doubtedly offers  greater  security  than  it  is  possible  to  obtain  with 
any  other  kind  of  brake  equipment  at  present  manufactured,  for 
the  reason  that  the  retarding  force  is  applied  not  only  to  the  wheels 
but  also  ti3  the  motors,  and  especially  to  the  rail  surface,  so  that 
the  danger  of  skidding  in  making  a  quick  stop  is  thus  minimized. 
It  is  possible,  A\-ith  this  equipment,  on  a  level  track  to  stop  a  heavy 
modern  car  running  at  full  speed.  21  miles  per  hour,  practically 
Mi  thin  its  own  length — i.  e-,  within  less  than  50  feet.  This  is  far 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  usual  air  brake  equipment. 


ROLLING   STOCK  19 


TABLE  I— RELATIVE  WEIGHTS  OF  EQUIPMENT. 

Seating  Weight 

Capacity,*  Weight.  per 

Class.                   Type.                                                             iTotal.  Equipped.  Seat. 

Prepny  Electric — 

Geary  St.— '-California" 48  48,000  1000 

101-180  —Closed 44  46,000  1045 

1500-1549— Closed 44  52,000  1180 

1550-1749— Closed 44  56,000  1270 

700-719  -"California" 43  38,000  884 

Xo7i-prepay  Electric — 

600-663  —Original  "California,"  single  truck..     28  14,000  500 

681-698  —Original  "California" 44  38,000  864 

731-745  —Original  "California" 40  33,000  825 

1001-1024— Original  "California" 42  32,000  762 

1300-1425— "California" 40  40.000  1000 

Interurban — 

1-12     —Closed 56  80,000  1430 

1225-1244— Closed 48  52,000  1080 

Came— 

Powell  Street — Half  open"  half  closed 29  12,000  414 

Sacramento  Street — "California" 36  14,000  389 

California  Street — "California" 34  11,000  324 

*On  basis  of  17  inches  per  passenger  for  longitudinal  seats. 


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PRESENT   ARRANGEMENT 
CLASS  1300-1425 


PROPOSED   RE-ARRANGEMENT 
CLASS  1500-1549 


PROPOSED  RECONSTRUCTION 

CLASS    1300-1425 

F 


IMPROVEMENTS  IN  PLATFORM  AND 
SEATING    ARRANGEMENT 

PRESENT   ROLLING   STOCK 


SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

TO  THE  HON.  BOARD  OF   SUPERVISORS 

CITY  OF    SAN  FRANCISCO 


A '.lip '.I 
alternative 
in  platform 
1550  classes 
passageway 
plan  simila 


ARRANGEMENTS 


These    rearrangements    in    platfoim    apparatus    are    recommended    as    an 

ngements  are  shown  both  with  and  without  a  fare  box.     Note  the  increase 

jither  remove  the  bullthead  or  move  the  controller  on  all  cars  of  1500  and 

Francisco  cars,  and  ciin  be  loaded  vi-rv  rapidly,  due  to  the  unobstructed 

(E)  shows  tlie  proposed  r.-ariangi-ment  of  the  1.500  class,  using  a  seating 

i{irepayment   car  by  lengthening  platforms,   as   shown   in   Plan    (F). 


ClASS    1300-1425 


CLASS    1550-1749 


IMPROVEMENTS  IN  PUTFORM  AND 
SEATING    ARRANGEMENT 

PRESENT   ROLLING   STOCK 


SAH  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 
TO  THE  HON  BOARD  OF   SUPERVISORS 

CITY  OF   5AMFRANCISCQ 


>VEMENTS    IN     PUV 
le  Important  featui 


VXD    SEA'n> 


Kl     fare  box  railing:.     The  1300  class  may  be  i 


_  of  high   class  eciuipmer 
McAllister  strpet  type.     Proposed  ai 
the  loading  speed,  it  la  necessary  t 
3st  of  the  large  S 
;  sailsfactory,     PI 
L-onstructed   into  i 


.  .  111.  nts    in    platfoin 

.Ml  both  with  and 
n.    Miilkhead  or  move  thi 
,   .nil  can  bo  loaded  vor 
piupii.sed  rfariangiMiienl 
by  lengthening  plntfon 


apparatus   are   recommended 
ithout  a  fare  I>ox.    Note  the 
he  contioiler  on  all  cars  of  1500  and 
.•ry  rapidly,  due  to  the  unobstructed 


BION  J.  ARNOLD 


5  lO        15         20        25       30       35       -^O      AS        SO 

FIGl'Rl!:     II— TBRMINAI^    I.OAUING     TIME. 

I'pon  the  loading-  speed  of  platforms  depends  to  a  laige  degree  the  rapaeity 
cf  the  line  in  periods  of  heaviest  traffic.  These  curves  are  representative  of  ToTf 
of  the  large  curs  operated  here,  and  show  the  total  time  of  loading,  and  tlie  time 
per  passenger  required  for  various  gi-oups  boarding  at  the  Ferry  tei-.ninal  b>- 
both  fiont  and  rear  platforms.  Curves  A,  B  and  C  ai-e  from  actual  observation, 
and  do  not  nece.ssarily  sum  up.  The  fact  that  the  loading  speed  of  the  San  Fian- 
cisco  cars,  using  both  platforms,  is  barely  eciual  to  those  in  Chicago  using  tlie 
rear  platform  only,  indicates  the  need  of  rearrangement  of  fi.xtures  to  obtain 
mucli  faster  loading-  along  the  street. 


BION  J.  ARNOLD 


lO        15         20        25       30       35       4-0      AS        SO 

FIGURE    II— TERMIXAL.    LOADING    TIME. 


and  do  not  ne-.essarilv  sum  up.  Tiie  fact  that  the  loading  speed  of  the  San  Fran- 
ci«f0  cars,  using  both  platforms,  is  barely  equal  to  tliose  in  Chicago  using  the 
rear  platform  only,  indicates  tlie  need  of  rearrangement  of  fixtures  to  obtain 
much  faster  loading  along  the  street. 


'■:^.<u 


^'5,mr-:li^^ 


REPORT 


ON 


Market  Street  Extension  Rapid 
Transit  Tunnel 

Under  Twin  Peaks  Ridge 


BY 

BION   J.   ARNOLD 

Consulting  Elngineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  8 
Supplementing  Preliminary  Report  No.  5 

Submitted  Oct.  7, 1912. 


REPORT 


ON 


Market  Street  Extension  Rapid 
*  Transit  Tunnel 

Under  Twin  Peaks  Ridge 


BY 

BION    J.    A^R'NiOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  8 
Supplementing  Preliminary  Report  No.  5 

Submitted  Oct.  7,  1912. 


Rincon  Publishing  Company 


28   Montgomery    Street,    San   Francisco 


Perspective    sketch    of   Eureka   Valley,    showing-   Market    Street    extension 
and   relative   position   of   Eureka   Valley   station    and   Mission-Sunset    tunnel. 


MARKET   STREET   EXTENSION  RAPID 
TRANSIT  TUNNEL 

UNDER  TWIN  PEAKS  RIDGE. 

PRELIMINARY  REPORT  NO.  8. 

SUPPLEMENTING    PRELIMINARY    REPORT    NO.    5. 

Board  of  Supervisors, 

City  of  San  Francisco. 

Gentlemen : 

In  my  Preliminary  Report  No.  5  on  Twin  Peaks  Rapid  Tran- 
sit Tunnels,  presented  to  you  on  May  3,  I  specifically  avoided  dis- 
cussing in  detail  the  following  related  points  which  at  that  time 
required  further  study : 

First.  Location  of  the  Market  Street  bore  within  the  limits  of 
the  present  roadway. 

Second.     Number  and  location  of  stations. 

Third.     Type  of  stations. 

Fourth.  Relation  of  the  present  tunnel  project  to  future 
rapid  transit  projects  which  must  necessarily  connect  thereto. 

Fifth.  The  best  arrangements  for  cross-town  transfer  connec- 
tions at  La  gun  a  Honda  station. 

I  therefore  present  this  supplementary  report  in  order  to  clear 
up  these  unsettled  points  with  regard  to  the  present  project  and 
furnish  a  basis  for  the  detailed  design  of  the  various  structures. 

These  matters  are  discussed  from  two  entirely  different  stand- 
points : 

Project  A.     Relates  to  that  type  of  structure  best  adapted  to 

present  needs: 
A-1.     Main  or  hill  section  of  Project  A — Eureka 

Street  to  southwest  portal. 
A-2.     Subway  section  of  Project  A,  from  Eureka 

Street  to  northeast  portal  at  Mission  Street. 


6  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

Project  B.  Relates  to  subsequent  rapid  transit  projects  indi- 
cating what  provision  must  be  made  in  the  first 
structures  for  the  probable  demands  of  the 
future  in  the  shape  of  additional  main  and 
branch  subway  connections. 

The  development  of  studies  for  the  latter  Project  B,  that  ma^' 
appear  somewhat  elaborate,  have  been  necessary  in  order  to  avoid 
serious  blunders  in  planningf  rapid  transit  projects  which  are  easily 
made  due  to  under-estimation  of  future  s^rowth.  The  history  of 
most  rapid  transit  projects,  brief  as  it  is,  has  shown  that  this  growth 
has  o'enerally  been  under-estimated  rather  than  over-estimated. 
And  the  transit  developments  across  the  Bay  and  around  Los  An- 
geles offer  a  sufficient  testimony  to  the  possibilities  of  the  near 
future. 

General  Description  of  Project.  The  complete  project  as 
recommended  herein  conforms  in  general  to  that  described  in  my 
Preliminary  Report  No.  5,  previously  submitted.  In  addition  to 
the  assignment  of  stations  and  the  general  design  of  structures,  the 
following  modifications  have  been  incorporated : 

First;  the  supplementary  incline  portal  near  Castro  Street  has 
been  removed  from  Market  Street  and  located  within  the  limits  of 
the  triano^ilar  plaza  just  west  of  Castro  Street  lat  the  commencement 
of  the  Market  Street  contour  extension,  where  little  traffic  obstruc- 
tion will  occur. 

Second,  the  supplementary  entrance  portal  for  surface  cars  at 
Lagnna  Honda  station  has  been  modified  so  as  to  provide  a  through 
crossing  for  a  future  Seventh  Avenue  cross-town  line,  with  transfer 
connections  to  the  tunnel  station. 

Third,  Laguna  Honda  station  has  been  located  on  City  property, 
so  as  to  constitute  an  attractive  transit  center  at  the  bend  in  Dewey 
Boulevard  capable  of  effective  future  development,  in  connection 
with  a  Seventh  Avenue  boulevard  extension  to  Corbett  Road  and 
down  the  Peninsula. 

Fourth,  a,  future  diversion  of  the  right  of  way  south  of  the  San 
Miguel  portal  is  recommended  to  secure  the  necessary  grade  sepa- 
ration through  the  Ingleside  District. 

These  modifications  are  incorporated  in  the  General  Plan  (Fig. 
1)  which  supersedes  the  similar  general  plan  of  Report  No.  5,  and 
are, detailed  in  the  various  drawings  accompanying. 


MARKET  STREET  EXTENSION  TUNNEL 


SUMMARY  OF  CONCLUSIONS  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

First :  Concerning'  Project  A,  main  or  hill  section,  later  studies 
have  confirmed  my  previous  recommendation  in  Preliminary  Re- 
port No.  5,  that  if  it  is  determined  to  build  at  present  only  the 
main  portion  of  the  tunnel  between  the  southwest  portal  and  Eureka 
Street,  the  northeast  end  of  the  tunnel  should  be  built  with  the  ob- 
ject of  connecting  at  sub-grade  with  a  future  Market  Street  sub- 
way, and  not  connecting  directly  with  the  surface  grrade.  An  in- 
clined entrance  would  then  become  necessary  at  Eureka  Street 
which  could  be  ultimately  abandoned,  or  utilized  for  routing  trolley 
ears  to  the  surface  at  this  point. 

Second:  Whether  the  tunnel  is  extended  down  Market  Street 
at  the  present  time  or  not,  I  am  convinced  that  the  contour  exten- 
sion of  Market  Street  should  he  carried  out  at  once  while  the  prop- 
erty is  relatively  inexpensive. 

Third :  This  contemplates  also  the  construction  of  the  ctrntour 
Boulevard  around  Twin  Peaks,  as  advocated  by  the  various  Im- 
provement Associations.  This  low-grade  extension  of  Market  Street 
will  form  the  much  needed  traffic  thoroughfare  down  the  Peninsula, 
supplementing  the  rapid  transit  tunnel. 

Fourth:  Concerning  the  second  section  of  Project  A,  this 
should  be  built  as  a  two-track  subway  from  West  Mission  Street  to 
Castro  Street  along  the  north  side  of  Market  Street  at  higJv-level; 
that  is,  with  station  platforms  as  close  to  the  street  surface  as  the 
structural  design  will  permit.  In  this  manner,  a  future  parallel 
bore  will  be  provided  for  at  minimum  cost,  to  be  built  at  sub-level 
(that  is,  at  a  depth  sufficient  for  an  overhead  concourse).  Thence 
it  will  proceed  directly  through  the  hill  at  low-grade  from  Castro 
Street  to  the  southern  portal. 

Fifth :  Acquire  sufficient  easement  width  when  the  first  project 
is  carried  through  to  accommodate  both  present  and  future  bores, 
as  well  as  stations.  The  additional  cost  at  the  prtisent  time  for  both 
bores  will  probably  be  but  little  more  than  for  the  first. 

Sixth :  Considering  the  limitations  imposed  by  flu;  nec6>.ssity  for 
reasonably  rapid  operation  through  the  tunnel,  not  more  than  three 
stations  between  the  north  and  south  portoi  fppear  to  he  desirable 
for  the  present : 

"Church  Street,"  located  in  the  valley  at  Fourteenth  and 
Church  streets ;  side  platform,  sidewalk  entrance. 

"Eureka  Valley,"  located  along  Market  Street  contour  exten- 
sion, betAveen  Collingwood  and  Eureka  streets;  island  plat- 
form, central  entrance  kiosk. 


8  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

"Lap:nna  Honda,"  located  on  City  property  at  the  intersection 
of  Seventh  Avenue  and  Dewey  Boulevard ;  side  platform,  es- 
calator or  ramp  entrance. 

One  future  station,  "Noe  Street,"  has  been  provided  for  by  rais- 
ing the  tunnel  crrade  to  the  proper  level ;  but  this  should  be  built  for 
local  stops,  and  only  when  the  development  of  cross-town  traffic 
warrants. 

Seventh :  Both  IMarket  Street  stations,  at  Church  Street  and 
Eureka  Valle.v,  should  be  built  at  high-level.  Church  Street  may 
be  developed  later  into  a  sub-level  type  express  station  later  de- 
scribed, with  the  necessary  direct  transfer  facilities  between  ex- 
press and  local  platforms. 

Eureka  Valley  station  may  be  expanded  into  a  reservoir  station 
as  soon  as  traffic  warrants,  so  as  to  provide  "passing  tracks"  foi* 
through  service  or  in  conjunction  with  the  branch-off  tracks  of  the 
proposed  Mission-Sunset  tunnel  connecting  at  Eureka  Street.  This 
Avill  be  independent  of  the  future  loAV-grade  bore  of  Project  B, 
which  will  pass  beneath  Eureka  Valley  station,  either  on  the  same 
alignment  or  a  more  direct  one. 

Eighth :  Lagiuia  Honda  station  should  be  constructed  at  the 
highest  level  consistent  with  the  maximum  grade  established — 3  per 
cent — but  at  sufficient  depth  to  permit  a  future  overhead  crossing 
beneath  the  surface  of  Dewey  Boulevard  for  trolley  cars  of  connect- 
ing transfer  lines,  this  super-grade  crossing  to  be  developed  as  soon 
as  traffic  conditions  warrant,  but  independent  of  the  present  tunnel 
station. 

Laguna  Honda  station  has  been  located  largely  on  City  property, 
and  an  unusual  opportunity  exists  for  effective  utilization  and  en- 
hancement in  value  of  the  entire  City  Tract.  The  improvement  of 
this  locality  and  the  boulevards  leading  thereto  should  therefore  be 
undertaken  by  the  City  at  its  earliest  opportunity.  An  open  cut 
crossing  for  trolley  cars  will  save  much  of  the  expense  of  a  cov- 
ered sub-grade  station  such  as  shown  herein. 

Ninth :  The  upper  IMarket  Street  subway  section  should  be  de- 
signed so  as  to  connect  directly  at  subway  grade  with  a  future  four- 
track  section  extending  down  lower  Market  Street.  All  subway 
branch-off  lines  should  be  designed  without  grade  crossings.  Pres- 
ent designs  must  fit  into  a  proper  scheme  of  future  development 
without  necessitating  expensive  reconstruction,  particularly  with 
reference  to  station  structures. 

Tenth :  The  lower  Market  Street  subwaj^  section,  which  will  be- 
come necessary  in  the  future,  should  be  built  with  a  standard  four- 
track  section,  Avith  all  four  tracks  built  at  sub-level,  permitting  an 
overhead  concourse  from  sidewalk  to  sidewalk  beneath  the  street 


MARKET  STREET  EXTENSION  TUNNEL  9 

from  which  access  may  l)e  had  to  both  express  and  local  platforms, 
with  direct  transfer  between  them.  This  section  is  well  adapted 
for  connection  with  the  npper  ^farket  Street  section  of  Project  A, 
as  herein  recommended.  It  is  idle  to  consider  a  two-track  section, 
because  of  the  number  of  branches  that  will  probably  be  required. 

Eleventh :  In  the  location  of  stations,  provision  should  be  made 
for  ultimately  extendin<f  the  platform  to  accommodate  the  longest 
nniltiple-unit  train  contemplated.  For  the  present,  both  high-  speed 
interurban  and  trolley  suburban  cars  will  be  operated  through  the 
tunnel.  This  dissimilarity  in  equipment  makes  it  desirable  for 
these  two  types  to  hcrtJi.  at  separate  platforms;  consequently,  sta- 
tions not  les.s  than  350  feet  in  length  should  be  provided  for  at 
present,  accommodating  three-car  interurban  trains  and  three 
trolley  car  units.  On  account  of  this  length  of  platform,  and  the 
serious  loss  in  speed  due  to  additional  stops,  stations  should  not  be 
built  closer  than  1500  or  2000  feet. 

Twelfth :  An  inclined  exit  at  Castro  Street  wdll  be  required,  so 
long  as  both  local  and  express  trains  are  operated  through  the  hill 
tunnel,  to  relieve  the  Market  street  subway  section  of  such  locals 
as  do  not  require  a  through  run.  The  incline  utilizes  otherwise 
waste  space  west  of  Castro  Street  in  order  to  obviate  an  obstruction 
in  upper  Market  Street. 

Thirteenth :  Enlargement  of  the  present  two-track  project  to 
four  tracks  must  come  when  the  safe  minimum  headway  has  been 
reached,  under  conditions  of  minimum  safety  factor  as  determined 
by  rigidly  applied  rules  for  the  style  of  equipment  and  the  type  of 
signal  system  installed. 

Fourteenth :  The  relative  volume  or  headway  of  express  and 
local  traffic  that  can  be  accommodated  effectively  within  the  one 
bore  should  be  largely  determined  by  the  necessities  of  express  ser- 
vice.    This  is  the  principal  object  of  the  rapid  transit  project. 

Fifteenth :  Before  traffic  necessitates  a  second  or  express  bore, 
it  is  likely  that  local  suburban  service  can  best  be  handled  in  the 
present  bore  by  special  subway  equipment  running  between  the 
City  and  the  County  Line,  with  adequate  transfer  facilities  en  route 
to  numerous  trolley  feeder  lines.  And  as  a  lower  Market  Street  sub- 
way A\dll  probably  also  be  required  by  this  time,  it  will  then  become 
desirable  to  exclude  all  but  standard  subway  equipment  from  the 
rapid  transit  system. 

Sixteenth:  When  the  ultimate  Market  Street  subway  project  is 
completed  from  the  Ferry  to  Eureka  Valley,  a  Market  Street  local 
or  transfer  route  will  become  desirable.  For  this  purpose  provision 
has  been  made  at  Castro  Street  for  subway  locals  to  loop  around  in 
Eureka  Valley  close  enough  to  Eighteenth  Street  to  warrant  a  loop 


1 0  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

terminal  station  for  originating  or  transfer  traffic  in  addition  to 
the  main  Eureka  Valley  station  herein  provided  for. 

Seventeenth:  Branch  snbways  will  unquestionably  become 
necessary  in  the  future,  to  feed  the  main  Market  Street  artery. 
These  branches  will  be  discussed  in  more  detail  later,  but  the  de- 
velopment of  the  city  seems  to  indicate  the  following'  as  most  de- 
sirable : 

(1)  South,  or  Mission  branch; 

(2)  West,  or  Park-Richmond  branch; 

(3)  Southwest,  or  Park-Sunset  branch. 

All  run  beneath  the  surface  until  out  of  the  heavily  settled  dis- 
tricts. 

Eighteenth :  Grade  separation  will  ultimately  become  necessary 
below  the  southwest  portal.  The  present  right  of  way  contemplated 
along  Junipero  Boulevard  can  only  be  regarded  as  a  makeshift,  and 
ultimately  the  rapid  transit  line  should  be  diverted  one  block  east 
by  open  cut  or  sunken  roadway.  It  is  extremely  important  that 
subdivision  of  residential  properties  should  be  carried  out  with  this 
in  mind. 

Nineteenth :  Ventilation  and  automatic  block  signal  plants  will 
become  more  and  more  necessary  as  traffic  through  the  tunnel  in- 
creases. Provision  for  the  former  should  be  made  in  the  original 
design,  and  some  form  of  block  signal  will  be  required  from  the 
start,  to  be  later  perfected  and  amplified  in  order  to  handle  effec- 
tively the  denser  traffic. 

Twentieth :  The  IMcCoppin  Street  portal  may  be  retained  after 
the  upper  and  lower  Market  Street  bores  have  been  connected,  as  a 
most  convenient  means  of  access  to  a  terminal  property  which  will 
presumably  be  located  in  that  vicinity,  at  least  for  interurban 
trains.  But  the  exact  position  of  this  portal  will  be  dependent 
considerably  upon  the  location  of  this  terminal  property. 

The  concluding  appendix  comprises  a  general  discussion  of  the 
important  matters  covered  in  the  foregoing  summary  of  conclusions 
and  recommendations,  wherein  my  reasons  are  presented  for  reach- 
ing these  final  conclusions. 

Respectfully  submitted, 


Consulting  Engineer. 
Prepared  September  26,  1912. 


MARKET  STREET  EXTENSION  TUNNEL  \  1 


APPENDIX. 

GENERAL  DISCUSSION. 

Determining  Factors  in  Location:  In  the  substitution  of 
the  contour  Phui  No.  5B,  for  the  direct  plan  of  alig'nment,  No.  2 
(see  Eeport  No.  5),  the  controlling  feature  is  the  adherence  to  the 
contours  outlining-  Eureka  Yalley  in  order  to  obtain  as  low  a  grade 
las  3-percent  from  Castro  Street  to  the  Laguna  Honda  station.  As 
the  hillside  slopes  rapidly  at  this  point,  the  alignment  of  the  bore 
and  also  that  of  the  Market  Street  extension  depends  upon  the  fol- 
lowing quantities,  which  likewise  apply  to  lower  Market  Street : 

1.  Depth  of  street  railway  tracks  and  substructures. 

2.  Intervening  depth  allowed  for  utilities  or  passageways. 

3.  Depth  of  tunnel  roof  structure. 

4.  Type  of  car — height  of  maximum  clearance  point  on  roof. 

5.  Minimum  permissible  clearance  overhead. 

6.  Desirable  depth  of  station  platforms  below  surface. 

In  this  alignment,  it  is  desirable,  first  to  reduce  the  reverse 
curve  beginning  lat  Castro  Street  to  the  easiast  possible  curvature ; 
second,  to  locate  the  center  line  of  the  bore  as  far  south  as  possible, 
so  as  to  better  reach  the  Eureka  Valley  District.  However,  the 
steepness  of  the  slopes  renders  impossible  any  material  variation  in 
the  alignment,  so  that  the  final  determining  feature  is  the  permissi- 
ble depth  of  the  tunnel  roof  and  superstructures. 

On  account  of  the  numerous  opportunities  for  crossing  the  bore 
at  streets  located  between  stations  where  there  is  plenty  of  roof 
covering,  it  is  not  deemed  desirable  to  depress  the  bore  at  stations  to 
provide  for  possible  utilities,  which,  if  of  moderate  size,  can  be 
carried  across  the  timnel  roof  between  beams  or  can  be  taken  caro 
of  by  deflecting  siphons.  However,  if  overhead  concourse  or  pas- 
sageway were  necessary,  the  entire  bore  would  have  to  be  depressed 
about  eight  feet.  A  total  depth  of  four  to  five  feet  below  the  street 
surface  to  the  under  side  of  the  tunnel  roof  is  the  minimum  that 
may  be  considered,  including  surface  tracks,  six  to  eight-inch  pro- 
tecting cushion,  waterproofhig  and  roof.  As  later  discussed,  the 
minimum  inside  height  of  the  bore  should  not  be  over  l-tio  to  15 
feet  from  the  rail-head,  which  brings  the  station  platforms  to  a 
depth  below  the  street  surface  of  1-41/2  to  15  feet.  This  is  represen- 
tative of  "high-level"  construction  referred  to  herein. 


1  2  SAN  FRANCISCO  1  RANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

Carloadin.o'  must  take  place  if  possible  on  a  tangent  or  straight 
line.  This  practically  dictates  the  reverse  curve  shown  in  the 
alignment  between  Castro  and  Douglass  streets.  But  approach 
curves  of  very  long  radius  have  been  used  so  that  efficient  operation 
thereon  Avill  not  be  interfered  with.  All  of  these  considerations 
have  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  contour  alignment  shown  in  the 
accompanying  plans.  Figures  1  and  2,  and  in  turn  have  also  dic- 
tated the  exact  location  of  the  INIarket  Street  contour  extension  re- 
ferred to  herein. 

Types  of  Construction:  The  simplest  construction  plan  would 
consist  in  a  two-track  bore  extending  from  the  southwest  portal  to 
Eureka  Street,  where  an  open  cut  incline  would  be  built  from  sul)- 
grade  to  the  surface.  This  plan  would  be  followed  in  case  it  is 
decided  not  to  construct  the  upper  Market  Street  subway  section 
at  the  present  time;  but  it  practically  requires  the  extension  of 
Market  Street  along  the  contour  plan.  The  inclined  entrance  could, 
of  course,  be  moved  northeast  as  far  as  Castro  Street,  without  ex- 
tending the  street,  but  the  cost  of  easements  and  damages  to  over- 
l^dng  property  during  the  construction  of  a  shallow  flat-roofed 
bore  would  be  proportionately  so  great  as  to  make  it  desirable  to 
secure  the  extension  of  Market  Street  at  this  time. 

A  study  of  the  profile  of  Market  Street  shows  that  two  entirely 
different  types  of  construction  are  warranted  for  upper  and  lower 
Market  Street,  respectively,  which  fortunately  fits  well  into  the 
present  plan  of  locating  the  inner  portal  at  West  Mission  Street. 
Owing  to  the  rapidly  rising  ground  southwest  of  Valencia  Street, 
it  is  impossible  to  follow  the  contour  of  the  surface,  as  in  the  case 
of  lower  Market  Street ;  consequently,  no  stations  are  permissible  be- 
tween Valencia  and  Church  streets. 

Considering,  now,  this  construction  on  both  upper  and  lower 
Miarket  Street,  there  are  four  types  of  subway  section  that  may  be 
seriously  considered : 

(a)  Standard  Four-Track  Unit:  A  flat- roofed,  two-bore 
section,  carried  at  sufficient  depth  below  the  street  surface  to  per- 
mit of  an  overhead  or  mezzanine  concourse  between  sidewalks,  thus 
providing  an  effective  transverse  passenger  subway  at  all  stations. 
This  type  will  permit  platforms  to  be  built  at  approximately  23 
feet  below  the  surface.  (Fig.  4.)  It  represents  standard  con- 
struction used  in  other  cities,  and  although  possessing  probably  the 
minimum  construction  cost,  it  has  the  disadvantage  that  platforms 
of  both,  bores  are  depressed  eight  feet  on  account  of  the  mezzanine 
gallery.  This  passageway,  however,  may  be  necessary  for  lower 
Market  Street  in  the  future. 


MARKET  STREET  EXTENSION  TUNNEL  J  3 

(b)  Independent  High-Level  2-4  Track  Section:  Pro- 
ject A  covers  the  first  high-level  two-track  bore.  Project  B  has  two 
different  independent  single-track  bores  built  after  Project  A  at 
sub-level  to  permit  mezzanine  concourses.  (Fig.  5.)  This  type  has 
the  distinct  advantage  that  at  least  two  platforms  at  all  stations 
may  he  brought  8  feet  nearer  the  street  than  in  the  previous  type. 
It  is  well  suited  to  upper  Market  Street,  but  would  entail  consider- 
able additional  cost  on  account  of  driving  independent  bores  and 
additional  material  required  for  walls. 

(c)  Four-Track  Sub-Level  Unit:  With  mezzanine  con- 
course to  sidewalk  entrances.  Same  as  previous  type,  except  that 
the  entire  construction  is  to  be  carried  out  as  one  project,  thus 
reducing  construction  cost  below  t^-pe  (b),  but  costing  about  the 
same  as  type  (a).  Here  the  sa\ing  in  excavation  is  offset  to  a 
large  extent  by  greater  expense  for  division  walls,  depending  of 
course  upon  the  character  of  material  encountered.  This  section 
is  suitable  for  construction  on  either  upper  or  lower  Market  Street 
as  a  four-track  project. 

(d)  Independent  Sub-Level  2-4  Track  Type:  With  sep- 
arate two-track  bores  constructed  at  different  times — Project  A, 
high-level,  and  Project  B  at  sub-level,  thus  permitting  a  mezza- 
nine concourse  to  the  sidewalk.  The  intervening  distance  avoids 
disturbance  of  Project  A  by  construction  work  on  Project  B.  This 
plan  is  distinctly  suitable  for  upper  ^Market  Street  under  the  pres- 
ent conditions,  and  is  recommended  herein.  For  lower  Market 
Street  the  standard  unit  section,  Type  (a)  is  recommended,  the 
advantages  of  the  mezzanine  concourse  outweighing  the  disad- 
vantages of  deeper  station  platforms. 

It  is  probable  that  for  lower  ]\Iarket  Street  a  two-track  bore 
need  not  be  taken  into  consideration,  for  when  the  time  comes  for 
construction  four  tracks  Avould  without  doubt  be  required,  by  rea- 
son of  the  necessity  of  merging  various  subway  branches  from 
Richmond,  ^Mission  and  Sunset  into  the  mciin  ]Market  Street  artery. 
This  is  only  of  interest  now  in  case  Market  Street  receives  these 
district  subway  branches.  And  if  each  branch  should  be  operated 
to  its  full  capacity,  a  diversion  of  one  or  more  to  a  parallel  street 
might  even  become  a  necessity. 

Station  Platform  Arrangements:  Two  arrangements  of 
platforms  with  their  modifications  are  here  available : 

(1)  "Island"  platform — located  betw^een  inbound  and  out- 
bound tracks.  This  is  a  simple  form  for  a  two-track  bore,  but  is 
limited  in  capacity  because  of  the  intermingling  of  incoming  and 
outgoing  passengers.  However,  in  the  four-track  arrangement  it 
is  exceptionally  valuable  in  permitting  quick  transfers  across  the 


1  4  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

platform  between  express  and  local  tracks.  Fig.  4  shows  the 
"island"  platform  in  its  best  form,  and  Fig.  8  in  its  simplest 
form  as  designed  for  Eureka  Valley.  Fig.  7  shows  a  direct  trans- 
fer between  center  platforms,  with  one  flight  of  stairs  to  sub-level. 
This  arrangement  is  ultimately  suited  for  upper  Market  Street  at 
Church  Street  station. 

(2)  Side  Platforms. — For  a  heavy  two-track  line,  this  is  supe- 
rior to  the  "island"  platform  in  capacity.  It  has  also  the  advan- 
tage that  in  the  future  it  can  be  readily  expanded  into  a  four- 
track  island  reservoir  station,  permitting  passing  tracks  without 
necessitating  complete  reconstruction  of  the  station  except  the  ex- 
cavation and  construction  necessary  for  the  outer  pair  of  tracks. 
This  will  be  the  case  at  Church  Street. 

But  iLSually  entrances  must  be  made  from  the  sidewalk,  as  only 
in  special  cases  is  it  permissible  to  use  island  kiosks  in  the  center 
of  the  street.  Fortunately,  Market  Street  is  of  suitable  width  for 
securing  sidewalk  entrances.  Fig.  4  shows  the  sidewalk  kiosks 
leading  to  a  mezzanine  concourse  and  thence  to  the  depressed  island 
platform.  In  the  case  of  the  sub-level  type,  the  stairway  is  simply 
extended  to  the  lower  level,  as  in  Fig.  6  and  Fig.  7.  Here  the  sub- 
level  platform  is  about  30  feet  below  the  level  of  the  street ;  con- 
sequently, in  locations  of  extremely  heavy  traffic,  a  moving  stair- 
w^ay  or  escalator  will  be  desirable. 

It  is  becoming  the  practice  in  Eastern  cities,  where  sidewalks 
are  congested,  to  replace  sidewalk  kiosks  by  entrances  through 
stores  or  business  houses  located  on  abutting  property.  Generally, 
office  buildings  and  department  stores  are  more  than  willing  to 
devote  necessary  space  for  this  purpose  in  order  to  secure  the  ad- 
vantage of  a  sub-level  entrance  in  the  building.  In  such  cases  the 
elevator  service  of  the  building  in  question  becomes  available  for 
the  entrance  to  the  tunnel. 

Eureka  Valley  Station:  After  numerous  studies  a  central 
island  platform  for  Eureka  Valley  station  was  finally  decided 
upon.  It  was  found  impossible  to  carry  the  present  bore  at  high 
level  along  the  north  side  of  the  street  and  in  this  position  secure 
sufficient  overhead  clearance  for  sidewalk  entrances  to  an  island 
platform  so  as  to  permit  future  expansion  of  the  project  into  a 
four-track  reservoir  station  w^ith  island  platform,  without  widen- 
ing the  street  or  acquiring  additional  property  beyond  the  90-foot 
width  which  has  been  determined  upon  for  Market  Street  exten- 
sion at  this  point.  And  side  platforms  with  off-side  alignment 
would  require  four  entrances,  which  is  undesirable  and  more  ex- 
pensive. Similarly,  it  was  impossible  to  provide  central  entrances 
of  reasonable  size  to  serve  this  off-side  alignment  of  the  present 
bore,  owing  to  the  limiting  roof  clearances. 


MARKET  STREET  EXTENSION  TUNNEL  1  5 

With  the  plan  shown  lierein,  central  island  kiosks  in  the  middle 
of  the  street  may  be  nsed.  They  are  located  directly  behind  the 
inclined  portal  at  Castro  Street,  and  also  serve  las  safety  loadinj:: 
stations  for  the  surface  trolley  lines  which  will  later  pass  on  either 
side  of  the  kiosks  into  the  proposed  Mission-Sunset  tunnel,  or  by 
the  proposed  INTarket  Street  extension  further  up  into  Eureka  Val- 
ley. These  central  kiosks  lead  directly  to  a  central  island  platform 
of  the  type  previously  described. 

Either  of  these  "off-side"  subway  plans  would  require  exten- 
sive reconstruction  when  the  second  bore  was  put  through,  but  the 
central  alignment  permits  of  expansion  into  a  reservoir  station 
with  only  modification  of  platforms.  The  second  express  liore 
will  pass  beneath  at  low  grade.  And  it  is  deemed  unnecessary  to 
provide  for  transfer  facilities  between  the  present  bore  and  this 
future  express  bore,  for  the  reason  that  no  extensive  cross-town 
transfer  business  may  be  looked  for  in  this  vicinity  that  could  not 
as  readily  be  handled  at  the  Church  Street  station. 

After  much  study,  I  am  convinced  that  instead  of  providing 
small  stations  at  frequent  intervals,  it  is  better  to  establish  a  sta- 
tion of  ample  size  extending  between  streets  along  the  tangent 
which  will  ultimately  accommodate  a  train  of  six  to  eight  car  units. 
For  real  rapid  transit  these  stations  should  not  be  nearer  than 
1500  to  2000  feet,  especially  in  sections  of  lighter  traffic  density. 

Noe  Street  Station:  Owing  to  the  proximity  of  Eureka  Val- 
ley station,  another  station  has  not  been  provided  in  the  present 
plan  for  the  intersection  of  Noe  and  Sixteenth  streets.  However, 
if  the  development  of  cross-town  traffic  warrants  the  establishment 
of  the  contemplated  Divisadero  Street  cross-town  line,  a  local  sub- 
way station  at  this  point  may  become  desirable.  And  such  a  sta- 
tion has  been  provided  for  in  the  present  plan  by  raising  the  tun- 
nel grade  close  enough  to  the  street  to  permit  of  a  high-level  sta- 
tion for  local  service  similar  to  that  of  Church  Street. 

Laguna  Honda  Station  has  been  purposely  located  upon  City 
property,  which  is  fortunately  situated  at  an  intersection  of  impor- 
tant thoroughfares  and  which  may  be  developed  into  a  useful 
transit  center  for  the  upper  San  IMiguel  Tract.  In  fact,  this  par- 
ticular point  lends  itself  so  w'ell  to  development  that  it  has  been 
chosen  for  a  station  site  in  spite  of  its  elevation — considerably 
above  the  levels  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Honda.  And  the  strategic 
advantages  of  this  site  are  considered  to  so  greatly  outweigh  those 
of  the  lower  levels  further  west  in  Seventh  Avenue  that  final  choice 
has  rested  here,  even  though  a  motor-driven  escalator  may  have  to 
be  used  until  such  time  as  the  trolley  transfer  arrangements  herein 
proposed  can  be  carried  out.     (Fig.  9.)     Supplementing  the  esca- 


1  6  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

lator,  however,  an  inclined  walkway  or  ramp  has  been  provided 
in  lieu  of  stairwaj^s  to  permit  comfortable  access  to  this  station 
from  the  west. 

Should  the  city  determine  to  alter  the  .sfrades  or  alignment  of 
Dewey  Boulevard  or  Seventh  Avenue  in  this  vicinity,  every  advan- 
tage should  be  taken  to  ease  the  approach  grades  and  to  decrease 
as  much  as  possible  the  necessary  depth  of  Lake  Honda  station  at 
this  point.  In  view  of  the  cost  of  hauling  all  future  trains  up  a 
grade  exceeding  three  per  cent,  as  compared  with  the  slight  dis- 
advantages of  an  escalator,  the  present  levels  have  been  determined 
upon  as  the  best  compromise  possible. 

Development  of  Seventh  Avenue  Extension:  The  design 
for  transfer  connection  at  Laguna  Honda  may  appear  far  more 
elaborate  than  the  present  condition  of  settlement  of  this  territory 
would  warrant.  For  this  reason  the  construction  has  been  sepa- 
rated into  two  projects — first,  the  station  necessary  for  serving 
the  tunnel  only,  and  second,  a  super-imposed  trolley  transfer  sta- 
tion running  beneath  Dewey  Boulevard  with  inclined  portals  reach- 
ing the  surface  on  both  sides,  this  second  project  to  be  built  as 
soon  as  the  development  of  this  territory  warrants.     (Fig.  2.) 

It  is  not  too  early,  however,  for  the  City  to  consider  the  improve- 
ment of  roadways  in  this  district,  which  must  be  based  upon  the 
prevailing  contours.  The  southern  end  of  Dewey  Boulevard  is 
manifestly  impracticable.  It  is,  however,  entirely  feasible  to  ex- 
tend Seventh  Avenue  over  the  existing  saddle  between  adjacent  hills 
to  Corbett  Road,  and  if  this  is  done  the  logical  plan  would  be  by 
means  of  an  open  cut  running  beneath  the  present  bend  in  Dewey 
Boulevard  in  la  southw^esterly  direction.  In  this  event,  this  exten- 
sion would  take  the  place  of  the  trolley  station  which  ha.s  been  de- 
signed as  the  second  part  of  the  Laguna  Honda  station.  With  the 
cross-town  service  through  this  open  cut,  excellent  transfer  facil- 
ities will  be  available  for  the  development  of  surrounding  territory. 

Rolling  Stock:  The  mistake  must  not  be  made  in  the  design 
of  a  project  of  the  magnitude  of  this  of  planning  for  too  small 
rolling  stock.  In  other  words,  the  tunnel  clearances  throughout 
must  be  ample  to  accommodate  the  largest  rolling  stock  that  will 
prohahly  he  itsed.  It  is  true  that  for  the  first  few  years  smaller 
rolling  stock  will  be  operated  through  the  tunnel,  viz.,  trolley  cars 
nine  feet  wide  by  fifty  feet  long,  and  interurban  cars  possibly 
nine  feet  four  inches  wide  by  fift.v-five  feet  in  length  and  thirteen 
feet  in  height.  But  ultimately  the  time  will  come  when  standard 
high-speed  multiple-unit  trains  will  be  in  demand,  w^hich  equip- 
ment may  have  to  be  standardized  ivith  that  of  the  Market  Street 
suhivays.  Therefore,  in  the  event  that  this  high-speed  equipment 
does  not  enter  upon  the  city  streets  but  remains  underground,  a 


MARKET  STREET  EXTENSION  TUNNEL  !  7 

mncli  larrjer  ear  would  he  possible.  I  therefore  consider  it  neces- 
sary to  provide  tunnel  clearances  thronsrhoiit  which  will  accommo- 
date a  car  nine  and  a  half  feet  to  ten  feet  in  width,  sixty  to  sev- 
enty feet  in  length,  and  twelve  feet  in  height,  with  a  possibility 
of  eight-car  multiple  unit  trains  operated  during  rush  hours. 

These  clearances  demand  a  tunnel  bore  about  twenty-five  feet 
in  width,  and  the  minimum  height  has  already  been  defined  in 
Preliminary  Report  No.  5  as  not  less  than  fourteen  and  a  half  feet. 
In  the  single  arch  section  there  will,  of  course,  be  ample  head  room ; 
but  in  the  shallow,  flat-roofed  section  the  overhead  clearances  will 
be  minimum  as  stated,  which  height  will  be  necessary  to  permit  of 
trolley  cars  being  operated  through  the  tunnel  for  a  few  years 
until  the  rapid  transit  system  is  fully  developed.  Were  the  small 
cars  alone  contemplated,  a  tunnel  section  twenty-two  feet  in  width 
would  be  ample,  but  if  a  tunnel  were  built  of  this  size,  there  would 
be  no  hope  of  real  rapid  transit  until  the  additional  low-grade, 
tAvo-track  tunnel  bore  were  built.  It  is  therefore  real  economy 
to  provide  now  for  the  larger  equipment.    (Figs.  12  and  13.) 

Car  Berths:  With  two  types  of  equipment  operated  within 
the  same  bore,  different  heights  of  platforms  Avill  be  encountered, 
also  different  body  and  step  clearances,  so  that  for  the  present,  two 
level  platforms  must  be  provided,  arranged  in  tandem,  one  to  serve 
rapid  transit  equipment  at  the  level  of  the  car  platform — approxi- 
mately 3'  6"  from  the  rail  head,  and  the  other  for  trolley  ears  at 
the  level  of  the  first  step — approximately  15  inches.  Rapid  tran- 
sit trains  may  then  take  the  forward  berth,  and  local  cars,  the 
rear  berth,  or  rice  versa.  This  condition  necessitates  longer  plat- 
forms at  the  present  time  than  would  be  necessary  for  standard- 
ized equipment,  but  the  additional  length  will  be  equally  useful 
when  the  platform  is  given  over  Avholly  to  standard  rapid  transit 
equipment  and  traffic  has  developed. 

Current  Collection:  Although  the  tunnel  bore  has  been  de- 
signed Avith  head  room  sufficient  at  all  points  to  permit  trolley 
collection  with  a  reasonable  height  of  car,  it  is  contemplated  that 
all  rapid  transit  rolling  stock  shall  eventually  be  equipped  for 
third  rail  collection.  This  applies  not  only  to  strictly  subAA'ay 
equipment,  but  also  to  long  distance  interurban  trains  and  pos- 
sibly also  to  suburban  expresses  reaching  points  within  the  future 
settled  portions  of  the  City  requiring  rapid  operation.  E\'en 
though  trolley  collection  may  be  retained  for  a  number  of  years 
on  the  interurban  lines,  it  Avill  be  distinctly  advantageoiLs  to  equip 
all  motor  cars  for  third  rail  collection  Avithiu  the  tunnel  in  order 
to  avoid  interruptions  and  delays  therein  due  to  trolley  troubles. 
For  this  purpose  a  type  of  collecting  shoe  may  be  used  Avhieh  Avill 
afford  no  serious  obstructions  AAiien  running  along  the  street  or 


1  8  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

hig-hway.     It  may  be  cither  of  the  raised  or  lowered  type,  held  in 
contact  by  air  pressure  and  released  when  the  trolley  is  lifted. 

In  the  sketches  of  tunnel  sections  appended,  the  standard  clear- 
ance line  for  third  rail  collection  has  been  indicated  as  established 
by  the  Committee  on  Electrification  of  the  American  Electric 
Railway  Association,  in  conformity  with  the  best  American  prac- 
tice. 

Utilities:  Provision  should  be  made  throughout  the  tunnel 
for  the  accommodation  of  such  utilities  as  are  necessary  in  its 
operation,  such  as  power  cables,  lighting  cables,  signal  wires,  fire 
line  with  hydrants  and  attached  hose  reel  located  at  intervals  in 
wall  niches.  It  may  be  also  desirable  for  additional  conduits  to 
be  built  into  the  floor  or  structure  wherever  practicable,  for  the 
purpose  of  renting  by  the  City  to  other  corporations  or  for  its 
OAvn  system  of  electrical  distribution  as  may  be  developed  from 
its  water  properties.  The  space  available  for  the  extra  utilities 
is  limited,  and  if  the  tunnel  bore  were  to  be  used  for  carrying  bulky 
utilities  through  the  hill,  special  provision  would  have  to  be  made 
for  this  purpose  over  that  shown  herein. 

All  sections  of  the  structure  shown  or  recommended  are  for 
reinforced  concrete,  for  with  the  combination  of  concrete  and  steel 
of  various  shapes  are  obtained  the  maximum  strength  with  the 
minimum  section  for  the  least  cost. 

It  is  also  more  readily  moulded  into  the  many  varying  and 
complicated  shapes  required,  and  more  impervious  to  moisture 
than  any  of  the  other  materials  available  for  this  work. 

Capacity  of  Tunnel:  In  so  large  an  investment  as  here  rep- 
resented, every  reasonable  means  must  be  adopted  to  secure  imme- 
diate and  continuoais  return.  Were  the  tunnel  of  comparatively 
short  length  and  the  investment  correspondingly  small,  it  would 
not  be  advisable  to  consider  the  operation  of  two  types  of  equip- 
ment, possessing  widely  differing  characteristics  in  starting  and 
running  speeds,  within  the  same  bore.  With  this  tunnel,  how- 
ever, the  investment  is  so  large  that  a  combined  use  of  the  bore 
becomes  necessary  for  the  time  being  until  future  development, 
local  and  Peninsular,  shall  render  necessary  the  construction  of  a 
supplemental  bore  to  be  devoted  to  high-speed  service  only.  For- 
tunately, the  standard  trolley  equipment  of  San  Francisco  is  fitted 
with  high-power  motors,  capable  of  a  free-running  speed  of  23 
miles  per  hour  on  the  level,  so  that  it  is  possible  for  this  equip- 
ment to  keep  pace  fairly  well  with  the  interurban  equipment. 

The  capacity  of  the  tunnel  may  be  estimated,  based  upon  the 
minimum  safe  headway  Avhich  it  is  possible  to  operate  with  a 
given  type  of  equipment.     Considering  the  Geary  Street  cars  as 


MARKET  STREET  EXTENSION  TUNNEL  19 

representative  trolley  equipment,  it  appears  tbat  local  trolley 
cars  cannot  operate  closer  to  the  expresses  than  about  185  seconds, 
assuniino"  an  express  run  direct  from  Church  Street  to  the  south- 
west portal  at  an  average  schedule  speed  of  25  miles  per  hour. 
With  express  cars  passing  locals  at  Eureka  Valley  and  Laguna 
Honda  stations,  the  trolley  cars  could  follow  at  a  minimum  headway 
of  about  80  seconds  without  interfering  with  the  express  schedules. 
In  normal  operation  of  this  combination  service,  it  would  prob- 
ably occur  that  if  trolley  cars  were  operating  on  less  than  a  three- 
minute  headway,  it  would  be  necessary  to  "bunch"  trolley  cars 
behind  an  express,  in  order  to  give  the  latter  a  clear  track.  Un- 
der these  conditions,  the  capacity  of  the  tunnel  in  cars  per  hour 
would  be  as  follows : 

Assuming  an  express  schedule  speed  of  25  miles  per  hour, 
running  on  15  minutes  headway,  it  will  be  possible  to  pass  through 
the  tunnel  78  local  carst  per  hour,  or  82  total,  with  no  express 
stops  between  Eureka  Street  and  the  west  portal.  This  means  that 
the  tunnel-  is  kept  entirely  clear  of  trolleys  at  the  time  of  express 
runs.  As  the  express  cars  become  more  frequent,  the  maximum 
permissible  cars  per  hour  also  decreases  rapidly  so  that  with  a 
five-minute  express  headway,  only  about  68  cars  per  hour  total 
may  be  passed  through  without  interference.  On  the  other  hand, 
with  no  express  service,  about  85  cars  per  hour  may  be  passed 
through  the  tunnel  under  safe  operating  conditions,  and  using 
two-oar  stops  as  recommended  for  lower  Market  Street. 

Four-tracking :  The  time  to  consider  the  construction  of  an 
a,dditional  two-track  tunnel  will  have  ^arrived  when  the  possibil- 
ities of  every  device  designed  to  reduce  the  safe  headway  has  been 
exhausted.  As  the  importance  of  express  traffic  increases,  the 
proportion  of  express  to  local  will  be  dictated  by  the  necessities  of 
the  former,  not  the  latter.  By  the  exclusion  of  trolley  cars,  re- 
placing them  by  high-speed  tunnel  cars  giving  shuttle  line  trans- 
fers, the  time  for  four-tracking  may  be  somewhat  deferred.  Fur- 
ther, by  improvements  in  signaling  from  time  to  time  the  capacity 
of  the  bore  may  be  further  enhanced.  It  is  more  than  probable 
that  before  the  capacity  of  the  bore  is  reached  a  continuation  of 
the  subway  down  ^Market  Street  to  the  Ferry  will  have  become 
a  reality,  with  branches  into  the  Mission  and  Eichmond  and  pos- 
sibly upper  Sunset.  The  necessity  will  then  more  than  ever 
arise  for  the  organization  of  the  service  upon  an  exclusively  rapid 
transit  basis  Avith  outlying  feeders  developed  to  the  maximum  ex- 
tent.    (Fig.  14.) 

Fare  Collection:  The  method  of  fare  collection  at  the  various 
stations  and  at  portals  is  dependent  largely  upon  how  much  of 

t  With   two-car  stops. 


20  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

the  complete  project  is  built  now  and  upon  the  type  of  equipment 
operated  through  the  tunnel.  If  only  the  hill  section  is  con- 
structed now,  the  present  method  of  fare  collection  will  probably 
suffice.  And  even  if  the  entire  project  is  constructed  but  trol- 
lej^  cars  are  run  through  the  tunnel  in  considerable  numbers,  pre- 
pay fare  collection  on  individual  cars  may  still  be  desirable  be- 
cause of  the  complication  ensuing  in  accounting  between  various 
lines  using  the  tunnel  if  an  entrance  booth  eollQction  were  used. 
Eventually,  when  only  rapid  transit  lines  use  the  bore,  booth  col- 
lection will  have  to  be  installed ;  but  for  the  present  it  is  believed 
that  the  prevailing  methods  of  fare  collection  will  suffice  without 
excessively  delaying  the  schedule. 

There  is  ample  opportunity  for  installing  collection  booths  at 
all  of  the  stations  when  traffic  conditions  warrant,  without  addi- 
tional land  being  necessary.  At  Church  Street,  the  entrance  coji- 
courses  may  be  extended  east  and  west  under  Church  Street  within 
the  street  line.  At  Eureka  Valley  a  single  entrance  can  be  de- 
veloped in  Diamond  Street  with  exits  at  Eureka  and  Collingwood 
as  now  shown  on  the  plans ;  or  if  a  reservoir  station  is  constructed 
at  this  location,  (that  is,  permitting  passing  tracks  for  expresses 
and  locals),  prepay  entrances  can  be  developed  at  both  ends,  as 
well  as  exits.  This  question  of  fare  collection,  therefore,  need  not 
enter  seriously  into  the  present  arrangements. 

Ventilation:  Provision  has  been  made  in  the  designs.  (Fig. 
3),  for  forced  ventilation,  the  crown  of  the  single-bore  arch  being 
divided  for  this  purpose,  so  as  to  provide  separate  ducts  drawing 
air  from  different  points  in  the  bore.  Although  the  installation  of 
ventilating  equipment  m.ay  not  be  necessary  during  the  early  period 
of  operation,  provision  for  later  installation  should  not  be  neglected 
now  which  would  render  an  effective  system  difficult  to  obtain  at 
such  time  as  the  tunnel  traffic  has  become  so  extensive  that  natural 
ventilation  becomes  inadequate.  The  location  of  the  Laguna  Honda 
station  at  the  summit  with  descending  grades  in  both  directions, 
offers  a  convenient  opportunity  for  ventilation,  especi'ally  as  the 
station  at  this  point,  when  completed,  will  constitute  an  open  por- 
tal. The  proportions  shown  herein  are  contemplated  to  provide  a 
complete  change  of  air  within  the  bore  every  20  minutes  by  me- 
chanical ventilation  alone.  And  the  effluent  is  drawn  approxi- 
mately midway  between  portals  so  that  fresh  air  is  always  enter- 
ing at  the  portals.  This  is  important  in  case  of  an  accident  and 
tire  within  the  tunnel,  when  passengers  would  always  have  an  op- 
portunity of  escape  in  the  direction  of  the  portals,  facing  fresh  air. 

Terminals:  Any  extensive  development  of  peninsular  service 
will  unquestionably  require  corresponding  terminal  development  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  northern  portal  in  West  Mission  Street.     And 


MARKET  STREET  EXTENSION   FUNNEL  2  I 

with  adequate  transfer  facilities  to  present  surface  lines,  it  ■woujtl 
be  possible  for  snch  terminal  to  be  made  use  of  as  a  ])oint  of 
originatini?  traffic  without  the  necessity  of  the  large  interurban  cars 
using  Mission  Street.  There  is  much  to  be  gained  in  this  plan  be- 
cause of  the  high  speed  gear  ratio  that  could  be  used  on  the  ter- 
minal trains,  whereas  such  a  ratio  would  be  undesirable  for  cars 
operated  along  surface  streets  with  frequent  stops.  So  that  with 
the  rapid  transit  lines  operating  in  harmony  with  the  surface  sys- 
tem, every  con.sideration  of  efficiency  points  to  the  desirabliity  of 
developing  a  terminal  near  the  northeast  portal. 

Here  it  is  pertinent  to  point  out  that  one  of  the  chief  argu- 
ments for  extending  the  tunnel  down  IMarket  Street  at  this  time 
is  to  provide  terminal  facilities  for  peninsular  and  suburban  lines 
operating  independently  of  the  present  United  Railroads  lines.  B3' 
emerging  from  the  tunnel  at  Eureba.  Street  no  independent  line 
can  use  the  tunnel  unless  four  tracks  are  installed  the  entire  length 
of  ^Market  Street. 

The  ^IcCoppin  Street  portal  will  be  useful  in  this  connection 
even  after  the  extension  of  the  subway  down  Market  Street,  as  a 
convenient  means  of  routing  terminal  cars  out  of  the  main  bore.  It 
is  also  well  located  with  respect  to  storage  of  cars  during  non-rush 
hours — ^provided  the  land  does  not  become  so  valuable  as  to  pre- 
clude its  use  for  this  purpose. 

Suburban  Connections:  The  maximum  usefulness  of  this 
rapid  transit  project  will  be  derived  by  a  system  of  feeders 
thoroughly  covering  outlying  suburban  territory,  which  deliver  the 
long-haul  passengers  to  the  rapid  transit  line,  rather  than  to  at- 
tempt the  passage  of  each  local  trolley  line  through  the  bore.  This 
maximum  usage  will  come  when  trolley  cars  are  entirely  excluded. 
On  general  principles,  passengers  do  not  object  to  transferring  from 
local  to  express  cars  if  the  transfer  is  made  convenient  with  cars 
running  strictly  on  schedule,  and  there  is  anything  to  be  gained  in 
time.  The  development  of  these  feeders  is  particularly  important 
in  the  outljnng  districts  southwest  of  the  Twin  Peaks  ridge,  and 
a  number  of  suggested  lines  in  addition  to  the  present  ones  are 
shown  in  Fig.  14. 

Tributary  Area:  It  is  not  generally  realized  how  much  habi- 
table land  exists  in  the  territory  which  is  to  be  regarded  as  tribu- 
tary to  this  Market  Street  extension  line.  Leaving  entirely  out 
of  consideration  Eureka  Valley  and  upper  Market  Street  as  tribu- 
tary to  this  project,  the  contour  map^  Fig.  15,  shows : 

First,  the  comp'aratively  level  land  available ; 
Second,  the  areas  of  greater  than  10%  slope; 
Third,  the  areas  of  greater  than  25%  slope, — 


22  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

all  within  the  region  bounded  by  Lincoln  Way  and  the  Twin  Peaks 
rid.cre.  Tlie  shadincr  on  this  map  indicates  that  only  a  compara- 
tively small  area  has  vertical  slopes  of  more  than  25%,  and  even 
these  are  capable  of  beinfir  converted  into  desirable  residence  areas 
by  means  of  the  contour  plan  of  street  subdivision.  This  map 
shows  clearly  the  extent  of  the  middle  valleys  lying  to  the  south- 
west of  Twin  Peaks  in  the  San  Miguel  Rancho,  the  development 
of  which  has  been  one  specific  object  of  the  Lagriina  Honda  station. 

Running  Time:  This  m^ap,  Fig.  15,  also  shows  the  possible 
running  time  from  the  central  business  district — Third  Street — via 
the  tunnel  route,  as  compared  with  that  of  other  existing  surface 
lines.  Moreover,  only  the  local  time  of  transit  is  shown,  and  not 
the  express  time.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  ocean  beach  can  be 
reached  for  some  distance  in  30  to  35  minutes,  while  30  minutes  is 
now  consumed  in  reaching  Ashbury  Heights,  half  this  distance. 
Northeast  Sunset  District  may  be  reached  sooner  by  transfer  at 
Laguna  Honda  station  to  a  proposed  Seventh  Avenue  line  than  by 
the  present  line  along  Lincoln  Way.  However,  this  would  not  be 
the  case  were  the  Mission-Sunset  tunnel  built.  The  San  Miguel 
tract  may  be  reached  within  20  to  25  minutes.  Furthermore,  a 
large  part  of  Smiset  is  brought  within  the  30-minute  time  zone ; 
and  in  the  strip  adj^acent  to  the  rapid  transit  line,  the  30-minute 
time  zone  is  extended  as  far  south  as  Colma  for  local  suburban  ser- 
vice. These  results  illustrate  the  possibilities  of  development  of 
desirable  territory  tlirough  adequate  transportation. 

Grade  Separation:  The  alignment  of  this  rapid  transit  line 
south  of  the  south  portal  is  indicated  tentatively.  (Fig.  1.)  For 
the  present,  it  is  contemplated  that  the  line  wnll  reach  present 
grade  at  the  bend  in  Sloat  Boulevard,  thence  paralleling  the  pres- 
ent surface  tracks  to  Ocean  Avenue  (Fig.  3),  and  thence  by  the 
best  grade  route  down  the  Peninsula  as  may  be  determined  by  de- 
tailed surveys.  All  Parkside  lines  will  route  off  from  the  main 
line  at  the  southwest  portal,  and  the  remaining  feeders  should 
divert  from  the  main  line  at  Sloat  Boulevard,  using  the  present 
tracks  on  Junipero  Serra  Boulevard. 

This  condition,  however,  cannot  last  many  years,  and  eventu- 
ally grade  separation  at  Ingleside  will  become  a  necessity.  A  sug- 
gested diversion  of  the  main  line  from  the  southern  portal  to 
accomplish  this  grade  separation  is  shown  dotted  in  Fig.  1,  this 
alignment  taking  advantage  of  the  higher  levels  to  remove  the  re- 
verse curve  at  present  existing,  and  secure  grade  separations  at 
Corbett  Road  and  Ocean  Avenue,  and  a  depressed  transit  line 
through  the  upper  Ingleside  Tract  by  open  cut,  about  one  block  east 
of  the  boulevard — 250  feet — thence  crossing  the  lower  Ingleside 
Tract  to  a  continuous  right-of-wtiy  either  to  the  right  or  the  left 


MARKET  STREET  EXTENSION  TUNNEL  23 

of  the  boulevard.  And  it  is  extremely  important  that  the  plans 
for  the  subdivision  of  this  territory  be  so  drawn  as  to  permit  of  this 
future  grade  separation  without  destroying  or  damaging?  improved 
property.  The  depressed  trackway  can  be  carried  through  as  in- 
dicated in  Fig.  3  without  deteriorating  adjoining  property.  An 
example  of  this  may  be  found  in  the  four-track  open  cut  of  the 
Brighton  Beach  Rapid  Transit  line  in  Brooklyn.  This  design  will 
be  even  more  attractive  with  grass  slopes,  although  requiring 
greater  width. 

Subdivision  of  Land:  In  anticipation  of  transit  improve- 
ments, a  number  of  subdivisions  are  under  way  in  San  Miguel 
Rancho  and  vicinity,  and  it  cannot  be  too  strongly  urged  that  these 
subdivisions  be  co-ordinated  with  reference  to  inter-connecting 
streets  and  transit  facilities,  instead  of  simply  developing  inde- 
pendently each  particular  parcel  of  property.  The  City  of  San 
Francisco  is  today  suffering  from  the  effects  of  subdivision  regard- 
less of  contours.  Here  is  a  chance  for  improvement,  and  the  City 
should  not  only  refuse  its  approval  of  any  subdivision  w^hich  does 
not  co-ordinate  with  those  already  perfected,  but  it  should  com- 
pel a  proper  subdivision  to  be  miade.  The  importance  of  this  will 
be  seen  when  it  is  appreciated  that,  by  the  contour  method  of  sub- 
division, a  considerable  part  of  the  area  shown  on  Fig.  15,  above 
25%  in  grade,  and  all  of  the  area  above  10%  slope,  can  be  ren- 
dered avaikble  for  attractive  residential  territory.  This  matter  is 
so  important  that  it  should  be  put  in  charge  of  a  definite  and  per- 
manent civic  organization  with  powder  to  act. 

Disposal  of  Material:  There  are  a  number  of  good  oppor- 
tunities of  utilizing  to  advantage  the  material  excavated  from  this 
tunnel.  The  construction  work  M'ould  naturally  divide  itself  into 
three  parts: 

First,  the  south  section,  between  the  portal  and  Laguna  Honda 

station ; 
Second,  the  middle  section,  between  Laguna  Honda  station  land 

Eureka  Street;  and 
Third,  the  north  section,  between  Eureka  Street  and  the  north 

portal. 

The  material  from  the  first  section  can  be  delivered  by  gravity 
to  a  fill  across  the  gully  paralleling  Corbett  Road,  it  being  desirable 
to  fill  up  this  gully  for  some  distance  back  to  provide  suitable  resi- 
dence land. 

The  material  from  the  second  and  third  sections  can  be  de- 
livered by  gravity  in  the  other  direction,  and  all  conveyed  to  the 
Islais  Creek  flats.  The  irregular  area  between  Army  Street  and 
Twenty-fifth  Street  could  also  be  filled  to  grade  advantageously 


24       SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

ill  order  to  facilitate  the  extension  of  Potrero  Boulevard  down  San 
Bruno  Road.  The  excavated  material  may  readily  be  hauled  over 
street  car  tracks  at  certain  times  of  the  day  and  at  night,  under 
special  arrang'ement  with  the  railway  company. 

Mission-Sunset  Project:  The  present  plans  in  Eureka  Valley 
district  provide,  in  addition  to  future  reservoir  passinsc  tracks  for 
expresses  and  locals,  that  the  proposed  Mission-Sunset  traffic  tun- 
nel may  be  utilized  also  for  the  ultimate  construction  of  a  sub- 
way connecting  the  Eureka  Street  portal  with  upper  Sunset,  and 
following  the  same  alignment  as  the  trafifie  tunnel.  And  a  design 
for  this  tunnel  is  herein  shown.  Fig.  16,  which  contemplates  this 
improvement.  Instead  of  building  the  original  traffic  tunnel  of 
sufficient  width  for  accommodating  both  traffic  and  car  lines,  the 
bore  is  narrowed  to  accommodate  only  vehicle  traffic  and  pedes- 
trians from  surface  to  surface.  Car  lines  are  to  be  run  at  a  lower 
level  beneath  the  roadway.  Up  to  the  time  that  subway  cars  are 
required,  this  low-level  bore  may  be  reached  by  incline  at  each 
portal.  Ultimately,  this  bore  may  be  used  by  both  subway  and 
trolley  cars,  the  subway  tracks  continuing  to  an  intersection  at 
subway  grade  with  the  Market  Street  line,  and  the  trolley  cars 
routing  out  to  the  surface  at  Eureka  Street  as  before,  or  continu- 
ing through  the  Market  Street  bore  as  far  as  Valencia  Street,  until 
such  time  as  the  trolley  cars  will  be  entirely  excluded  from  the  bore. 
With  this  in  view,  the  Mission-Sunset  tunnel  should  be  designed 
to  accommodate  subway  car  clearances. 

Combined  Traffic  Tunnel:  This  section  has  the  advantage  of 
being  suitable  for  construction  in  narrow  streets.  It  will  entirely 
remove  the  element  of  danger  arising  from  the  possibility  of  the 
supporting  thrust  of  the  earth  being  removed  behind  the  abutment 
in  the  event  of  excavation  by  private  parties  along  the  street  line, 
which  in  the  case  of  the  wide  span  arch  with  abutments  close  to 
the  street  line  would  render  the  arch  unstable.  This  reduced  width 
of  structure  would  obviate  the  necessity  of  acquiring  easement 
rights  in  private  property  for  the  protection  of  the  structure. 

Requisition  of  Property  and  Easements:  In  providing  suf- 
ficient property  for  carrying  out  this  project,  complete  surveys 
have  been  made  of  the  right  of  way  by  the  City  Engineer,  and 
the  following  computations  and  descriptions  of  the  property  neces- 
sary have  been  prepared  in  connection  with  the  City  Engineer's 
office.  This  description  covers  sufficient  property  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  stations  contemplated  for  the  future  as  well  as 
the  present  project: 


MARKET  STREET  EXTENSION  TUNNEL  25 

Description  of  Land  to  be  Acquired : 

(a)  Southwest  portal ; 

(b)  Station  at  Honda ; 

(c)  Extension  of  ^Earket  Street. 

(a)  Description  of  the  land  necessary  for  the  southwestern 
portal  on  the  San  Miguel  Rancho: 

"Commencing  at  a  point  86-4.93  feet  distant  southerly  and  at 
right  angles  from  the  center  line  of  Taraval  Street,  if  extended 
and  produced  (and  564.31  feet  distant  easterly  and  at  right  angles 
from  the  center  line  of  Twelfth  Avenue  (if  extended  and  pro- 
duced) ;  thence  northeasterly  along  a  line  deflected  36°  46'  13" 
to  the  right  from  a  line  parallel  with  Twelfth  Avenue  to  point  550 
feet  distant ;  thence  at  a  right  langle  southeasterly  150  feet ;  thence 
at  a  right  angle  southwesterly  550  feet;  thence  at  a  right  angle 
northwesterly  150  feet  to  the  point  of  beginning." 

(b)  Description  of  land  necessarj^  for  the  station  at  Laguna 
Honda : 

"Commencing  on  the  southwesterly  boundary  line  at  the  sec- 
ond angle  point  northerly  from  the  extreme  southerly  boundary 
line  of  the  Relief  Home  Tract  (formerly  Alms  House  Tract)  said 
second  angle  point  being  1,370  feet  distant,  more  or  less,  west- 
erly and  at  right  angles  from  the  most  easterly  boundarj'  line  and 
370  feet  distant,  more  or  less,  northerly  and  at  right  tangles  from 
the  most  southerly  boundary  line  (if  extended  and  produced  west- 
erly) of  the  Relief  Home  Tract  (formerly  Alms  House  Tract)  ; 
thence  running  along  the  boundary  line  of  said  tract  as  per  map 
adopted  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  by  Ordinance  No.  807  (New 
Series)  June  14th,  1909,  N.  38°  14'  41.6"  E.  192.72  feet;  thence 
N.  39°  34'  18.4"  W.  421.707  feet  to  a  point  on  said  boundary  line; 
thence  S.  17°  24'  18.4"  E.  499.28  feet  distant  and  to  the  point 
of  beginning." 

Also  lands  described  as  follows: 

"Commencing  at  a  point  N.  17°  24'  18.4"  W.  51.13  feet  dis- 
tant from  the  second  angle  point  northerly  from  the  extreme  south- 
erly boundary  line,  and  on  the  southwesterly  boundary  line  of  the 
Relief  Home  Tract  (formerly  Alms  House  Tract)  as  per  map 
adopted  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  by  Ordinance  No.  807  (Ncav 
Series)  June  14th,  1909,  said  second  angle  point  being  1,370  feet, 
more  or  less,  distant  westerly  and  at  right  angles  from  the  east- 
erly boundary  line  and  370  feet,  more  or  less,  northerly  and  at 
right  angles  from  the  most  southerly  boundary  line  (if  extended 
and  produced  westerly)  of  the  Relief  Home  Tract  (formerly  Alms 
House  Tract)  ;  thence  running  N.  17°  24'  18.4"  W.  33.63  feet  dis- 
tant; thence  S.  45°  42'  58"  W.  175.21  feet;  thence  S.  44°  17'  02" 


26       SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

E.  30  feet;  thence  N.  45°  42'  58"  E.  160  feet  to  the  point  of  be- 
g-inning. ' ' 

(c)  Description  of  land  to  be  acquired  at  southwest  terminus 
of  Market  Street: 

"Commencing  at  a  point  on  the  easterly  line  of  Eureka  Street, 
dist;uit  thereon  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  feet,  five  and  three- 
eigliths  inches  (132'  5%")  southerly  from  the  intersection  of  the 
southerly  line  of  Seventeenth  Street  with  the  easterly  line  of 
Eureka  Street;  thence  southerly  and  along  said  easterly  line  of 
Eureka  Street  ninety  feet,  ten  and  one-eighth  inches  (90'  lOVs")  ; 
thence  deflecting  to  the  left  an  angle  of  ninety-seven  degrees,  forty- 
eight  minutes  and  fifteen  seconds  (97°  48'  15")  and  running  east- 
erly along  said  deflected  line  two  hundred  and  fifty-two  feet  four 
inches  (252'  4")  to  a  point  on  the  westerly  line  of  Diamond  Street, 
said  point  being  one  hundred  'and  eighty-nine  feet  and  three-eighths 
inches  (189'  0%")  southerly  from  the  intersection  of  the  south- 
erly line  of  Seventeenth  Street  with  the  westerly  line  of  Diamond 
Street;  thence  northerly  and  along  said  westerly  line  of  Diamond 
Street  ninety  feet  ten  and  one-eighth  inches  (90'  IQi/s")  ;  thence 
deflecting  to  the  left  an  angle  of  ninety-seven  degrees,  forty-eight 
minutes  and  fifteen  seconds  (97°  48'  15")  and  running  westerly 
along  said  deflected  line  two  hundred  and  fifty-two  feet  four  inches 
(252'  4")  to  the  easterly  line  of  Eureka  Street  and  point  of  com- 
mencement. ' ' 

Being  a  part  of  Horner's  Addition,  Block  206. 

' '  Commencing  .at  a  point  on  the  easterly  line  of  Diamond  Street, 
distant  thereon  eighty-nine  feet  five  inches  (89'  5")  southerly 
from  the  intersection  of  the  southerly  line  of  Seventeenth  Street 
with  the  easterly  line  of  Diamond  Street ;  thence  southerly  and  along' 
said  easterly  line  of  Diamond  Street  ninety  feet,  ten  and  one- 
eighth  inches  (90'  lOVs")  ;  thence  deflecting  to  the  left  an  angle 
of  ninety-seven  degrees,  forty-eight  minutes  and  fifteen  seconds 
(97°  45'  15")  and  running  easterly  along  said  deflected  line  to  a 
point  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  six  inches  (135'  6")  distant; 
thence  running  along  a  line  curved  to  the  left  with  a  twelve  hun- 
dred foot  (1200')  radius,  one  hundred  and  seventeen  feet  nine 
and  three-quarter  inches  (117'  9%")  to  a  point  on  the  westerly 
line  of  Collingwood  Street,  said  point  being  one  hundred  and 
forty  feet,  one  and  seven-eighths  inches  (140'  1%")  southerly  from 
the  intersection  of  the  southerly  line  of  Seventeenth  Street  wdth 
the  westerly  line  of  Collingwood  Street ;  thence  northerly  and 
along  the  westerly  line  of  Colling\^^ood  Street  to  a  point  one  hun- 
dred and  four  feet,  two  and  three-quarter  inches  (104'  2%")  dis- 
tant; thence  deflecting  to  the  left  an  angle  of  one  hundred  and 
eight  degrees  one  minute  and  thirty-three  seconds   (108°  1'  33") 


MARKET  STREET  EXTENSION  TUNNEL  27 

and  running-  "westerly  along  a  line  curved  to  the  right  (to  which 
curved  line  said  deflected  line  is  tangent)  with  a  radius  of  twelve 
hundred  feet  (1200')  to  a  point  two  hundred  and  fourteen  feet, 
one  inch  (214'  1")  distant;  thence  westerly  on  a  straight  line  tan- 
gent to  said  curved  line  forty-two  (42')  feet  to  a  point  on  the 
easterly  line  of  Diamond  Street  and  the  point  of  commencement." 

Being  a  part  of  Horner's  Addition,  Block  198. 

"Commencing  at  the  intersection  of  the  southerly  line  of  Sev- 
enteenth Street  with  the  easterly  line  of  CollingAvood  Street  and 
running  thence  southerly  along  said  easterly  line  of  Collingwood 
Street  to  a  point  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  (124')  two 
and  one-eighth  inches  (2Vs")  distant;  thence  deflecting  to  the 
left  an  angle  of  one  hundred  and  six  degrees,  twenty-three  min- 
utes and  forty  seconds  (106°  23'  40")  and  running  easterly  along 
la  line  curved  to  the  left  (to  which  curved  line  said  deflected  line  is 
tangent)  with  a  radius  of  twelve  hundred  feet  (1200')  to  a  point 
two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet  six  and  five-eighths  inches 
(238'  6%")  distant;  thence  along  a  reverse  curve  to  the  right, 
with  a  radius  of  twenty  feet  (20'),  forty-one  feet  and  one  and 
three-eighths  inches  (41'  1%")  to  a  point  on  the  westerly  line  of 
Castro  Street,  distant  thereon  fifty-two  feet  three  and  three-quar- 
ters inches  (52'  S%")  southerly  from  the  intersection  of  the  south- 
erly line  of  Seventeenth  Street  with  the  westerly  line  of  Castro 
Street;  thence  northerly  along  said  westerly  line  of  Castro  Street 
fifty-two  feet  three  and  three-quarters  inches  (52'  3%^")  to  the 
intersection  of  the  southerly  line  of  Seventeenth  Street  with  the 
westerly  line  of  Castro  Street;  thence  deflecting  to  the  left  an 
angle  of  ninety  degrees  (90°)  and  running  westerly  along  the  south- 
erly line  of  Seventeenth  Street  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  (250') 
to  the  intersection  of  said  southerly  line  of  Seventeenth  Street 
with  the  easterly  line  of  Collingwood  Street  and  the  point  of  com- 
mencement. ' ' 

Being  a  part  of  Horner's  Addition,  Block  197. 

"Commencing  at  the  intersection  of  the  northerly  line  of  Sev- 
enteenth Street  with  the  westerly  line  of  Castro  Street  and  run- 
ning thence  northerly  and  along  said  westerly  line  of  Castro  Street 
to  a  point  thereon  fifty-three  feet,  four  and  one-quarter  inches 
(53'  414")  distant;  thence  deflecting  to  the  left  an  angle  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-two  degrees,  twelve  minutes  and  sixteen  sec- 
onds, (122°  12'  16")  and  running  southwesterly  along  said  de- 
flected line  one  hundred  feet  one  and  three-eighths  inches  (100' 
1%")  to  a  point  on  the  northerly  line  of  Seventeenth  Street,  dis- 
tant thereon  eighty-four  feet  eight  and  one-half  inches  (84'  8Y2") 
westerly  from  the  intersection  of  the  northerly  line  of  Seventeenth 
Street  with  the  westerly  line  of   Castro   Street ;   thence   easterly 


28  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION  PROBLEM 

along  said  northerly  line  of  Seventeenth   Street  eighty-four  feet 
eight  and  one-half  (84'  SYi")  to  its  intersection  with  the  westerly 
line  of  Castro  Street  and  the  point  of  commencement." 
Being  a  part  of  Horner's  Addition,  Block  200. 

Description  of  Right  of  Way  Strip  from  Eureka  Street 
to  Southwest  Portal: 

A  strip  of  land  90  feet  wide  extending  for  2-4  feet  northwest- 
erly and  66  feet  southeasterly  (both  measured  at  a  right  angle) 
of  a  line  parallel  to  the  center  line  of  said  strip,  which  parallel 
line  is  described  as  follows: 

"Commencing  at  a  point  on  the  easterly  line  of  Eureka  Street, 
and  distant  thereon  409.077  feet  northerly  from  the  monument 
line  of  Eighteenth  Street  (measured  along  the  easterly  line  of 
Eureka  Street)  ;  thence  southwesterly  at  an  angle  of  82°  11"  45" 
with  said  easterly  line  of  Eureka  Street  60.814  feet  to  a  point  of 
curve ;  thence  running  along  a  line  curved  to  the  left,  the  radius 
of  which  is  1,200  feet,  degree  4°  46'  34",  central  angle  28°  51'  44", 
and  length  604.489  feet  to  a  point  of  tangency  174.484  feet  north- 
erly and  at  right  angles  from  the  monument  line  of  Eighteenth 
Street,  and  613.89  feet  westerly  and  at  right  angles  from  the 
easterly  line  of  Eureka  Street;  thence  southwesterly  along  a  line 
which  deflects  an  angle  of  36°  40'  with  the  monument  line  of 
Eighteenth  Street  7,095.947  feet  to  a  point  of  curve  54.588  feet 
(measured  along  said  line  if  produced)  easterly  from  a  point  on 
the  southwesterly  boundary  line  of  the  Relief  Home  Tract  (for- 
merly Alms  House  Tract)  if  extended  and  produced  S.  39°  34' 
18.4"  E.  8  feet  distant  from  the  third  angle  point  northerly  from 
the  southerly  boundarj^  line  of  said  tract,  said  third  angle  point 
being  1,240  feet,  more  or  less,  westerly  and  at  right  angles  from 
the  easterly  boundary  line  and  500  feet,  more  or  less,  northerly 
and  at  right  angles  from  the  southerly  boundary  line  (if  extended 
and  produced)  of  said  Eelief  Home  Tract,  as  per  map  adopted  by 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  by  Ordinance  No.  807  (New  Series), 
June  14th,  1909 ;  thence  running  along  a  line  curved  to  the  left, 
the  radius  of  which  is  5,729.65  feet;  degree  1°  central  angle 
15°  20'  30"  and  length  1,534.186  feet  to  a  point  of  tangency;  and 
running  along  a  line  tangent  to  preceding  curve  1,237.72  feet  to  a 
point  on  the  northeasterly  boundary  line  and  81  feet  southeasterly 
(measured  along  said  boundary  line)  from  the  most  northerly 
corner  of  land  to  be  acquired  for  the  southwesterly  portal  herein- 
before described." 


GENERAL     PLAN  AND  PROFILE 

'    riAnt\ETST  EXTENSION  TUNNEL 

UNDER     TVIN      PEAKS 


DION     J    ARNOLD 


SAN  rRANCISCO    TUNNEL    PROBLEM 

TOTHLMQN.  BOARD  Or  SUPERVISORS 

CITY    OF   5AN   FRANCI5C0. 


General   ling   alignment,    grades,   distances,    easements,    stations,    portals,    and    pro- 
posed  connectioan   corresponds   to   Plan   5B,    presented   in    Preliminary   Report   No.    5. 


FiB.  1. 
General   line  plan  ana   profile   of  complete   Market   Street   Extension   Tunnel   project    under   Twin   I^eaUs,    showing  alignment,   gradef,   distances,    easements,   stations,    portals,    and   pro- 
posed  connections.     Suggested   grade  separation   ot  the  future   right  of  way  south   of  tlie   portal   Indicated.     Tills   plan   corresponds   to   Finn   6B.   presented    in   Pi-ellniinnry   Report   No.   5. 


Plan  ^  Street  section.  Providing  for  a  side  platform  station  at  Church  Street 
designed  topley  station  permitting  a  future  reservoir  station  at  the  portal  of  the 
proposed  Mi 


MARKET  ST.  EXTENSION  TUNNEL 

UMOER      TWIN     PEAKS 

PLAN  AND  PROFlLt.  OTIS  ST  TO  IB '"ST 

BiOM   J  ARN  Old 

SAN  FRANCISCO    TUNNEL    PROB 
TDTME  mQN   board   OF  SUPERVISORS 
CITY     OF     SAN    FRANCISCO 


Plan  i  Street  section.  Providing  for  a  side  platform  station  at  Church  Street 
designed  tollley  station  permitting  a  future  reservoir  station  at  the  portal  of  the 
proposed  Mi 


Plan  and  profile.   Otis  Street  to  Eighteenth   Street,   showing   In   detail    the  design   and   track    layout    of   Marltet    Street   section.      Providing   for 
?ienpd   to  permit  future    transfer  facilities  to  a   sublevel   two-track  bore.      Center   island    platform    at    Kurekii    Valley    station    permitting    a    futun 
Contour  extension  of  Market  Street  contemplated. 


proposed  Mlssion-Sunaet  i 


PORTAL  STATION    Wl! 

BRANCH  OFF  AND  P. 

TRACKS    FOR  EXPRES 

TO  BE  PROVIDED  FOP"    —    —  __ 

SUBDIVISION  OF  PROP 


UNDER    TWIN    PEAKS 

DETAILS  OF  SOUTHWEST   SECTION    AND 
LAGUNA   HONDA  STATION 

to  TMt   REPORT   OF 

BION    J.ARNOLD 

SAN  FRANCISCO°fuNNE:L  PROBLEM 
TO  THE  HON  BOARD  OF  SUPERVISER3 

CITY     OF    SAN  FRANCISCO.' 


Plan,   pint  of  Laguna  Honda  station  detailed  as  to  first  and  second  construction 
stage,   providij 


PORTAL  STATION   Wl| 
BRANCH  OFF  AND  P> 
TRACKS    FOR  EXPRES 
TO  BE  PROVIDED  FOH~ 
SUBOIVISION  or  PROP 


1 


MARKET  ST.  EXTENSION  TUNNEL 

UNDER    TWIN    PEAKS 

DETAILS  OF  SOUTHWEST   SECTION    AND 
LACUNA   HONDA  STATION 

ACCOMPANY  I  NO  THK    RePORT    OF 

BION   J.ARNOLD 

SAN  FRANCISCO°fuNNEL  PROBLEM 
TO  THE  HON  BOARD  OF  SUPERVISER5 

____CITYOF    SAN   FRANCISCO.' 


Plan,   pitnt  of  Laguna  Honda  station  detailed  as  to  first  and  second  construction 
stage,   providi 


to  first  and  second  construction 


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DETAILS   OF   POSSIBLE    DEVELOPMENT 
AND    TRACK    CONNECTIONS 

MARKET  ST  EXTENSION  TUNNEL 

■IDER     TWIN    PEAKS 
BION     J.ARNOLD. 

SAN  FRANCISCO   TUNNEL  PROBLEM 
TO  THE  HON  BOARD  OF  SUPERVISERS 

CITY     OF    SAN    FRANCISCO 


jr   four-track    express    bore — Project    B,    track    connections    into    a    future    four- 
t'eturn  loop  at  Castro  Street,   and  subway  connections  to  Mission-Sunset   tunnel, 
e  surface  track  connections,   sliowing  outlet  of   tunnel    to   four   tracks   in    upper 
^ut  of  Eureka  Valley. 


CONNECTIONS  WITH  FUTURE  SUBWAY 


—     -        -  ^  MARrtEx  ST  SUBWAY 


VELOPMENT  OFEUREK.A  VALLEY  PORTAL  OF  TUNNEL 


DETAILS   OF   POSSIBLE    DEVELOPMENT 
AND    TRACK    CONNECTIONS 

MARKET  ST  EXTENSION  TUNNEL 

UNDER    TWIN    PEAKS 
BION     J    ARNOLD. 

SAN  FRANCISCO   fuNNElL  PROBLEM 

TO  THE  HON  BOARD  OF  SUPERVISERS 

CITY     OF    SAN    FRANCISCO. 


ir  four-track  express  bore — Project  B,  track  connections  into  a  future  four- 
^'eturn  loop  at  Castro  Street,   and  subway  connections  to  Mission-Sunset   tunnel. 

le  surface  track  connections,  sliowing  outlet  of  tunnel  to  four  tracks  in  upper 
^ut  of  Eureka  Valley. 


k 


inel  as  compai-ed  wilh   the  time  zones  of  present  lines.     Shaded 
lite  lines   indicate   Market   Street   Extension    boulevard,    and    the 


inel  as  compared  with   Ihc   time  zones  of  pi'esent  lines.     Shacled 
ite   lines   indicate   Market    Street   Extension    boulevard,    and    tlie 


Fig.  14. 

Details  of  future  extensions  and  developments.  Market  Street  Extension  Tunnel,  showing  provision  for  four-track  express 
:  subway  in  lower  Market  Street,  typical  branch  connections  to  the  Mission  and  Western  Addition,  local  return  loop  at  Castro 

Plan  and  profile  also  shown  for  present  tunnel  construction,  terminating  at  Eureka  Street,  with  possible  surface  track  conn 
:et  Street.     This  Involves  the  contour  extension  of  Market  Street  now,   with  a  possible  further  extension  out  of  Eureka  Valley. 


MARKa  ST  EXTENSION  TUNNEL 


bore — Project  B,  track  connections  Into  a  future  four- 
Itreet,  and  subway  connections  to  Mission-Sunset  tunneL 
ttlons.    showing  outlet   of   tunnel    lo   four    tracks   in    upper 


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Development  of  Transit  System 


Part  II— Extensions,  Immediate  and  Future 


TO    THE 


BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 
City  of  San  Francisco 


BY 

BION   J.   ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  10— Part  II 


Submitted  Dec.  7,  1912. 


REPORT 


ON 


Development  of  Transit  System 


Part  II  —  Extensions,  Immediate  and  Future 


TO    THE 


BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 
City  of  San  Francisco 


BY 

BION   J.   ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


iPreliminary  Report  No.  10— Part  II 

Submitted  Dec  7,  1912. 


i 


REPORT 


ON 


Development  of  Transit  System 


Part  II  —  Extensions,  Immediate  and  Future 


TO    THE 


BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 
City  of  San  Francisco 


BY 

BION    J.    ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


\ 


Preliminary  Report  No.  10— Part  II 

Submitted  Dec.  7,  1912. 


UNIFIED  SYSTtri 

Cnon- competitive) 
PROPOSED  EXTENSIONS 


I  nn  EOiATL 

AFTER  5  YEARS 
ULTIMATE 


DIAGRAMMATIC     MAP    OF    RECOMMENDED     EXTENSIONS     TO     UNIFIED 

TRANSIT    SYSTEM. 

Supplementing  the  detailed  relief  map  (FMg.  I)  on  wliicli  sd\  present  lines  are 
indicated,  together  witli  the  distribution  of  population.  This  diagram  shows  in 
skeleton  form  the  general  location  of  extensions  essential  to  a  complete  transit 
system  unified  with  respect  to  operation — that  is,  providing  patrons  with  the 
most  direct  transit  and  most  convenient  transfer  facilities,  irrespective  of 
ownersliip.  The  program  of  extensions  indicated  represents  the  minimum  mileage 
and  investinent.  Witli  competing  systems  extending  throughout  the  entire  city, 
the  mileage  of  extensions  necessary  to  accomplisli  the  same  degree  of  service 
would  be  considerably  greater  than  here  indicated.  The  legend  subdivides  this 
extension  program  into  (1)  Immediate;  (2)  Five  years;  (3)  Ultimate.  Should 
contour  streets  be  later  developed,  modifications  of  this  program  would  naturally 
result.  Such  tunnels  as  have  already  been  recommended  are  here  included  as  a 
fundamental  part  of  the  improved  transit  plan. 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  TRANSIT  SYSTEM 

PRELIMINARY   REPORT   NO.    10— PART   II. 
EXTENSIONS,  IMMEDIATE  AND  FUTURE. 

Board  of  Supervisors, 

City  of  San  Francisco. 
Gentlemen : 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  average  citizen  interested  in  the 
development  of  your  city,  two  necessities  are  apparent,  both  of 
which  require  immediate  attention.    These  are : 

1st.     Extensions  into  unserved  territory ; 

2nd.  Service  improvements  throughout  the  system. 

Could  it  be  said  that  San  Francisco  had  already  over-expanded, 
as  in  the  case  of  several  cities  of  the  United  States,  the  question  of 
service  might  be  regarded  as  the  most  urgent.  But  in  San  Francisco 
the  occurrences  of  recent  years  have  resulted  in  the  fact  that  the 
city  is  now  confronted  with  an  abnormally  rapid  growth,  accelerated 
by  the  expected  opening  of  a  great  inter-oceanic  waterway  and  the 
Exposition  commemorating  it.  And  the  means  are  not  available 
for  meeting,  in  the  immediate  future,  this  certain  civic  growth. 
Therefore,  the  question  of  extensions  to  its  public  utilities,  particu- 
larly street  railways,  becomes  of  most  immediate  and  far-reaching 
consequence. 

While  the  necessities  of  the  present  are  being  considered  it  is 
equally  necessary  that  those  of  the  near  future  and  of  a  decade 
hence  shall  be  anticipated  as  far  as  possible  in  order  that  piecemeal 
development  may  be  avoided  and  a  transit  s^'stem  planned  Avhich 
will  eventually  co-ordinate  all  of  these  successive  steps  into  one 
efficient  and  unified  operating  system,  whether  under  one  or  several 
managements,  municipal  or  private.  The  extensions  herein  recom- 
mended are  designed  as  parts  of  such  a  unified  system,  irrespective 
of  ownership — i.  c..  with  a  system  developed  only  with  reference  to 
the  best  needs  of  the  re.spective  districts,  and  with  duplication  of 
capital  investment  eliminated. 

This  unified  plan  does  not  in  any  manner  prevent  the  future 
control  by  the  City  of  all  of  its  traction  lines,,  but  may  be  regarded 
at  the  present  time  as  simply  the  best  means  to  a  much-desired  end 
— adequate  service.  From  the  standpoint  of  the  patron,  the  ideal 
condition  of  service  necessitates  ONE  CITY,  ONE  FARE,  UNI- 
VEESAL   TRANSFERS. 

However,  plans  have  been  prepared  for  the  subdivision  of  this 
unified  program  of  development  into  its  component  parts,  one  of 


4  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

which  contemplates  a  privately  operated  system,  and  the  other  a 
municipally  operated  system,  both  covering  the  entire  city  as  far  as 
possible,  and  operating  in  direct  competition.  Bnt  such  a  plan 
necessarily  results  in  extensive  duplication  of  investment  along 
parjillel  streets  and  consequently  duplication  of  service.* 

In  planning  this  program  of  extensions,  a  thorough  study  has 
been  made  of  the  topography,  available  thoroughfares,  and  physical 
obstructions  throughout  the  entire  city,  with  a  view  to  securing  the 
most  practical  results ;  and  the  necessary  street  improvements 
involved  will  be  treated  later  in  detail.  It  suffices  here  to  note 
that  the  city  may  derive  great  advantage  from  a  comparatively 
small  amount  of  improvement  work.  The  major  improvements  in 
the  city  plan  have  been  so  thoroughly  covered  in  the  Burnham 
report  that  only  such  minor  and  relatively  inexpensive  projects  are 
here  contemplated  as  are  essential  to  the  proper  development  of  the 
city  and  its  transit  system  in  the  near  future. 

Similarly,  definite  consideration  will  be  given  in  the  location  of 
these  extensions  to  improved  car  routing  and  distribution  of  service. 
Particular!}^  may  be  mentioned  the  necessities  of  so-called  cross- 
town  lines,  making  possible  inter-communication  between  various 
local  centers,  of  which  there  are  many  in  San  Francisco. 

Here  I  desire  to  acknowledge  the  invaluable  aid  rendered  by  the 
various  improvement  clubs  and  commercial  organizations  of  this 
city,  and  also  by  many  public-spirited  citizens  in  the  matter  of 
suggestions  and  data  regarding  the  districts  served.  All  of  these 
suggestions  have  been  analj'-zed,  and  while  many  of  them  have  been 
found  impracticable  owing  to  existing  physical  obstructions,  mostly 
excessive  grades,  some  of  them  are  entirely  warranted,  and  are 
included  herein.  Of  particular  value  may  be  mentioned  the  Mer- 
chants' Association  report,  submitted  in  1907.  It  is  of  interest  to 
note  in  this  connection  that  of  all  the  extensions  sho^^ii  therein 
(some,  I  understand,  were  practically  agreed  to  by  the  United  Rail- 
roads), there  have  only  been  constructed  short  lines  on  Gough 
Street,  Ninth  Avenue,  Fulton  Street,  Cortland  Avenue,  and 
through  Visitacion  Valley,  and  that  most  of  the  extensions  of  re- 
cent years  have  been  financed  through  the  assistance,  either  directly 
or  indirectlj^  of  the  property  owners  benefited  thereby;  also,  that 
there  have  been  no  railway  extensions  whatever  built  under  fran- 
chises granted  since  the  last  charter  amendments  took  effect. 

Transportation  facilities  to  the  Panama-Pacific  Exposition  have 
already  been  dealt  with,  on  the  score  of  exceptional  urgency 
('Report  No.  10,  Part  I),  and  therein  were  recommended  such 
transit  lines  as  will  best  co-ordinate  with  this  greater  system  now 
under  consideration.  Much  of  the  discussion  in  Part  I  will  apply 
directly  herein,  as,  for  example,  the  following: 

1.    IMaximum  grades  limited  as  close  to  10%  as  possible. 

*See  addendum. 


DEVELOPMENT   OF   TRANSIT   SYSTEM  5 

2.  Headway  limited  to  one  ear  per  bloek  on  grades  over  8%, 

for  piirpases  of  safety  to  passengers. 

3.  Full  motor  poAver  on  grades  up  to  at  least  8%. 

4.  Chicago  standard  of  narrow  cars  and  track  centers  when 

possible,  to  preserve  roadways    wide    enough    for    two 
vehicles  on  each  side. 

5.  Curves  to  be  designed  to  allow  cars  to  pass  thereon. 

6.  Duplication  of  investment  and  service  by  parallel  lines  to  be 

avoided  as  far  as  possible. 

In  the  exhibits  hereto  appended  are  presented : 

1st.  A  record  of  the  more  important  suggestions  that  have  been 
made  for  transit  facilities  within  the  city — Figure  I. 

2nd.  Those  improvements  which  may  reasonably  be  recom- 
mended for  present  and  future  construction.  Figure  II  shows 
the  topography  and  resulting  physical  obstructions  with  relation 
thereto.  And  for  the  purpose  of  accurately  gauging  these  transit 
necessities,  the  actual  distribution  of  sleei)ing  population  of  the 
1910  census  is  superimposed  upon  the  map  at  a  scale  of  200  persons 
per  dot. 

Conclusions  and  Recommendations : 

1st.  A  study  of  the  relative  growth  of  population,  operated 
trackage  and  riding  habit  indicates  that  the  principal  traction 
system  in  its  extension  program  is  at  least  six  years  behind  the 
average  rate  established  by  the  company  from  1900  to  1905,  w^hich 
was  6%  miles  of  single  track  per  year.  During  the  preceding 
decade  an  even  higher  rate  was  maintained — S%  miles  per  year. 
Furthermore,  extensions  are  by  no  means  keeping  pace  with  the 
growth  in  population,  and  only  about  8  miles  more  track  is  now 
being  operated  than  in  1905. 

2nd.  The  apparent  needs  of  the  immediate  future,  determined 
independently  of  the  above  facts,  require  the  construction  of  about 
72  miles  of  single  track.  94%  of  which  is  under  municipal  juris- 
diction ;  and  by  far  the  greater  proportion  of  this  mileage  is  to  be 
regarded  as  simply  completing  a  delayed  program. 

3rd.  Upon  the  completion  of  the  above  construction,  five  years 
hence  at  the  most,  a  second  construction  program  should  be  entered 
upon  involving  about  50  miles  of  single  track,  which  may  possibly 
be  warranted  within  the  present  decade. 

4th.  After  this  period  further  extension  work  should  be  steadily 
carried  out  as  indicated,  both  in  the  outlying  districts  and  within 
the  city  proper,  solidifying  and  perfecting  the  present  system. 
Inasmuch  as  San  Francisco  is  hardly  half  developed,  there  remains 
much  to  be  accomplished  before  a  so-called  saturation  point  shall 
have  been  reached,  to  justify  retrenchment  in  extensions.  This 
schedule  of  extensions  does  not  include  the  necessary  rehabilitation 


.6  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

of  the  California  Street  line  from  Sixth  Avenue  to  Cliff  Avenue, 
which  is  now  operating  without  a  franchise. 

5th.  This  work  Avill  call  for  an  approximate  expenditure  of 
about  $6,000,000  in  track  and  equipment  within  the  next  five  years, 
and  $11,000,000  for  all  the  extension  work  indicated  herein,  exclu- 
sive of  all  special  street  improvement  work,  such  as  regrades,  tun- 
nels, etc.,  and  exclusive  of  all  rapid  transit  undertakings,  except 
the  Twin  Peaks  tunnel  project  alreadj^  recommended. 

6th.  At  a  very  conservative  estimate  the  investment  in  physical 
property  should  increase  at  the  rate  of  $3.00  per  $1.00  earned  per 
year,  and  possibly  at  a  higher  rate.  As  the  earnings  for  the  future 
are  conservatively  estimated  as  douhling  in  from  fourteen  to  eigh- 
teen years,  this  means  that  within  the  next  decade  probably  $18,- 
000,000  will  have  to  be  invested  in  extensions,  additions  and  better- 
ments to  the  transportation  facilities  of  San  Francisco. 

7th.  A  large  proportion  of  these  extensions  must  be  operated 
as  part  of  the  private  system  having  no  possible  connection  with  the 
municipal  lines,  present  or  contemplated.  But  if  these  various  out- 
lying fragments  were  built  by  the  city,  some  form  of  contract  should 
be  entered  into  to  guarantee  through  service  during  the  life  of  the 
trunk  line  franchise. 

8th.  As  the  maximum  benefit  from  service  will  be  derived  from 
extensions  nearest  the  business  center  or  into  comparatively  thickly 
settled  suburbs,  these  should  receive  first  consideration,  prior  to 
lines  into  thinly  settled  districts. 

9th.  Certain  development  lines,  however,  are  so  clearly  desirable 
and  have  such  a  certain  future,  that  these  might  well  take  prece- 
dence over  those  development  lines  which  are  more  or  less  specula- 
tive in  final  results. 

10th.  For  track  in  the  outlying  districts,  a  lighter  and  less 
expensive  type  of  construction  may  be  used  which  will  serve  amply 
for  some  years  to  come  until  the  upbuilding  of  those  districts 
requires  rehabilitation  with  heavier  track  construction. 

11th.  Single  track  construction,  with  turn-outs,  will  be  justi- 
fiable in  the  case  of  some  extensions  into  very  thinly  settled  districts. 
This,  together  with  the  lighter  construction  employed,  will  so  reduce 
the  relative  investment  as  to  make  it  possible  to  serve  a  much  greater 
territorij  than  if  standard  construction  were  used  throughout.  But 
such  single-track  lines,  if  of  reasonably  permanent  construction, 
especially  as  regards  the  substructure,  should  be  laid  at  the  side  of 
the  street,  so  as  to  be  in  position  when  the  line  is  double-tracked 
and  rerailed. 

12th.  Extension  lines  should  in  general  be  so  located  as  to  best 
serve  as  feeders  to  future  rapid  transit  trunk  lines,  and  have  been 
so  considered  here.  This  particularly  applies  to  districts  now 
requiring  the  longer  rides  in  transit  from  the  business  center. 

13th.    In  outlying  territory,  Avhere  the  streets  and  topography 


DEVELOPMENT   OF   TRANSIT   SYSTEM  7 

permit,  a  spacing  between  adjacent  lines  should  be  adopted  which 
will  divide  the  undeveloped  territory  with  reasonable  equality  of 
service,  as  herein  indicated.  In  other  M'ords,  parallel  lines  should 
not  be  located  nearer  than  three  or  four  blocks  apart,  unless  through 
exceptionally  dense  settlements.  Otherwise  unwarranted  duplica- 
tion will  occur,  as  in  the  case  of  the  upper  Richmond  District. 

14th.  Several  districts  in  San  Francisco  can  never  be  adequately 
served  except  by  the  contour  plan  of  sti-eet  subdivision,  as  for 
example,  University  ^Mound  and  Larsen  Heights,  or  the  Sunset, 
Twin  Peaks,  and  San  Miguel  slopes.  If  a  method  could  be  devised, 
a  re-subdivision  in  many  of  these  cases  would  undoubtedly  be  war- 
ranted, in  order  to  secure  the  development  desired.  This  has 
already  been  urged  in  Report  No.  8.  dealing  with  the  development 
of  the  territory  to  be  served  by  the  3Iarket  Street  extension  tunnel 
under  Twin  Peaks. 

15th.  A  number  of  the  extensions  herein  named  lie  partly  or 
wholl}'  outside  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  city,  as,  for  example,  the 
Belt  line  around  the  waterfront,  and  the  Presidio  line.  Special 
means  must  therefore  be  found  for  the  financing  of  these  extensions, 
particularly  the  Belt  line.  But  until  the  project  is  financed, 
arrangements  should  be  made  whereby  The  Embarcadero  will  be 
kept  open  for  the  building  of  such  a  service  line  next  to  the  dock 
wall  line. 

16th.  The  Van  Ness  Avenue  line  is  largely  a  matter  of  municipal 
polic3^  Without  tunnels  it  will  unquestionably  be  needed,  as  it  will 
become  of  great  strategic  importance  in  the  event  of  failure  to  reach 
a  resettlement  of  existing  difficulties,  when  the  organization  of  a 
complete  competitive  municipal  system  will  be  the  principal  means 
of  relief. 

17th.  It  is  probable  that  a  number  of  the  extensions  recom- 
mended, especially  those  not  in  a  direct  line  of  through  traffic,  may 
be  bettor  handled  for  the  present  by  means  of  a  shuttle  service 
rather  than  to  attempt  through  service  to  the  downtown  district. 
On  such  lines,  smaller  car  equipment  Avould  be  permissible,  such  as 
would  not  be  of  sufficient  capacity  to  warrant  operating  through  the 
business  district.  And  as  shuttle  cars  can  be  readily  operated  on  a 
definite  schedule  through  the  outlying  districts,  much  better  service 
results  from  transfer  to  a  trunk  line  of  frequent  headway  than  to 
attempt  a  through  service  that  will  very  likely  be  irregular  at  times, 
due  to  delays  on  the  trunk  line.  Passengers  then  always  have  the 
opportunity  of  transferring  to  and  from  the  first  trunk  line  ear 
passing. 

18th.  Only  one  cable  line  extension  is  recommended,  on  Dia- 
mond Street,  and  this  is  unavoidable  as  it  is  now  the  most  feasible 
way  to  reach  the  southern  slopes  of  Noe  Valley,  unless  a  resubdi- 
vision  of  all  the  surrounding  slopes  with  contour  streets  is  put  into 
effect. 


»  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

19th.  In  view  of  the  completion  of  the  iMission  Viaduct  an  addi- 
tional viaduct  from  Holly  Street  across  the  Islais  Creek  basin  into 
University  lyiound  district  is  not  considered  as  of  such  pressing 
necessity  for  some  years  to  come  as  the  other  extension  projects 
herein  outlined; 

20th.  The  opening  of  Berry  Street  and  the  improvement  of 
Division  Street  as  a  continuation  of  Fourteenth  for  cross-town 
connection  will  become  advisable  in  the  very  near  future ;  also  the 
utilization  of  Potrero  and  San  Bruno  Avenues  as  a  low-level  outlet 
from  the  district  south  of  Market  down  the  Peninsula. 

21st.  The  early  improvement  of  Berual  Cut  for  handling 
through  traffic  from  the  converging  thoroughfares  is  extremely 
important,  and  special  plans  have  been  mad-e  therefor. 

22nd.  A  comparatively  easy  grade  along  Church  Street  has  been 
devised  by  means  of  a  short  diversion  at  Mission  Park  and  a  tunnel 
one  block  in  length,  which  line  reaches  the  heavily-settled  Noe  Valley 
district,  which  requires  additional  service  perhaps  more  than  any 
other  district  in  the  city.  This  project  will  be  developed  in  detail 
under  ' '  Improvements  in  City  Planning. ' ' 

In  conclusion,  it  is  again  necessary  to  draw  the  attention  of 
your  Board  and  the  citizens  of  San  Francisco  to  the  serious  fact, 
with  which  they  are  confronted,  that  capital  must  he  found  to  build 
these  extensions.  The  municipality,  of  course,  has  a  free  hand  in 
this  contemplated  use  of  its  streets ;  but  many  of  the  extensions  are 
of  such  a  fragmentary  character  that  it  is  a  grave  question  whether 
it  should  undertake,  under  present  conditions,  a  capital  burden  of 
this  nature.  The  only  alternatives  are  for  these  extensions  to  be 
financed  by  assessment  upon  the  property  benefited  thereby,  or  else 
by  private  capital,  and  to  make  this  possible  the  passage  of  Charter 
Amendment  No.  34,  with  proper  restrictions,  is  therefore  necessary 
and  vital  to  the  proper  development  of  your  city,  particularly  in 
time  for  the  Panama-Pacific  Exposition. 

Respectfully  submitted, 


C2^ 


Consulting  Engineer. 
Prepared  December  2,  1912. 


ADDENDUM  TO  REPORT  No.  10,  PART  II. 

December  11,  1912. 

Inasmuch  as  the  electors  have  expressed  themselves  (even  though 
by  a  very  small  nia.jority)  against  the  execution  of  a  plan  of  action 
such  as  contemplated  in  Charter  Amendment  No.  34,  it  is  now 
incumbent  upon  the  city : 

1st.  To  finance,  by  local  assessment  or  bond  issue,  all  or  a  large 
part  of  the  extensions  herein  called  for,  and  secure  the  right  of 
exchange  of  its  own  cars  with  the  connecting  United  Railroads  lines 
(involving  an  ad.justment  of  wage  scales)  ;  or 

2nd.  To  build  the  roadbed  onl.y,  and  grant  private  operation 
rights  there-over ;  or 

3rd.  To  secure  private  capital  to  finance  these  extensions,  and 
secure  the  right  of  through  service  under  present  charter  conditions. 

In  the  appendix  hereto  the  unified  plan  originally  proposed  is 
segregated  into  its  component  parts  for  the  purpose  of  indicating 
the  real  magnitude  and  legal  perplexities  of  the  problem,  which  the 
city  is  facing  in  establishing  a  competitive  municipal' system.  In 
such  a  plan  it  is  evident  that  duplication  of  investment  and  service 
will  be  inevitable,  and  the  validity  of  the  five-block  law  must  be 
established. 

The  time  has  now  arrived  for  the  City  of  San  Francisco  to  estab- 
lish a  definite  transit  policy;  either  to  ulidertake  a  prolonged  war- 
fare of  competition  with  established  lines,  or  else  to  accept  a  reason- 
able compromise  and  subdivision  of  territory  served  between  the 
municipal  and  private  systems  until  such  time  as  it  is  able  to  assume 
the  financial  burden  of  the  entire  transit  system. 

APPENDIX 

Table  I.  Summary  of  mileage  and  approximate  cost  of  exten- 
sions segregated  into  periods  of  construction  (unified  system). 

Table  II.  Description  of  streets  traversed  by  extensions  (unified 
system). 

Table  III.  Detail  of  mileage  and  maximum  grades  of  exten- 
sions, single  and  dovible  track  (unified  system). 

Table  IV.  Additional  extensions  essential  to  municipal  com- 
petitive system. 

Table  V.  Extensions  to  unified  system  forming  part  of  private 
system  or  connections  thereto. 

Table  VI.  Program  of  improvements  in  cit}^  plan  necessary  for 
the  completion  of  the  transit  extensions  contemplated. 


TABLE  I— APPROXi:\rATE  COST  ANALYSIS  OF 
EXTENSIONS. 

Including  only  roadbed,  overhead,  cars,  and  power  converting 
equipment.* 

Miles  of  single  Per  cent  of  grand 

Period.  track.  Cost.  total. 

Immediate : 

City 66.92 

Outside 4.76 

71.68  $5,730,000  51.0 

After  five  years : 

City  .  .' 44.00 

Outside 3.79 

47.79  3,820,000  34.0 

Ultimate : 

City 21.37 

Outside 0.0 


21.37  1.710.000  15.0 


Total  city 132.29  94.0 

Total  outside  control .       8.55  6.0 


Grand  total 140.84         $11,260,000  100.0 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES. 

The  detailed  routes  to  be  established  over  these  various  extensions 
and  the  necessity  therefor  will  be  developed  in  full  in  the  final  treat- 
ment of  ' '  Rerouting  and  Service  Redistribution. ' '  Similarly,  street 
improvement  work  necessary  for  the  construction  of  these  extensions 
will  be  analyzed  in  "Improvements  in  City  Plan." 

This  extension  program  does  not  contain  possible  future  lines 
and  extensions  along  contour  streets  that  may  be  developed  from 
resubdivision  of  hillside  tracts  now  inaccessible  because  of  prohib- 
itive grades  resulting  from  the  rectilinear  plan  of  subdivision. 
LTnquestionabl.y,  such  resubdivision  will  develop  desirable  additions 
to  this  program,  and  possibly  some  changes. 


♦Assuming    power    purchased,    alternating    current,    thus    excluding    cost    of 
power  stations  and  transmission  lines. 


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UNIFIED  SYSTEM 

'   N  ON -COMPETITIVE  ; 

DISTRIBUTIOn'oF  POPULATION 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

ACCOMPANYING    TnE     REPORT  OF 

Bl  ON   J.  ARNOLD 

O^J    THE 

SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM 
TOTHE  HON  BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 


POPULATION. 

i-i   iur  most  oi  the  immediate 


POPULATION. 


■       '  Jnost  ot  tlie  immediate 


UNIFIED  SYSTEM 

^JO^J-COMPETlT1VE   ' 

:h3TRibution'of  population 

SAN  FRANCISCO 
Bl  OM   J.  ARNOLD 


V  r\T  X      ^     R 


pe    o  1  of  abo       five 


extensions  will  'lie  appaient  whe 


d      Itimately,   ns  soon  as  the 
s        for  most  of  the  immediate 


FIG.    II.      RELIEF   MAP    OF    SUGGESTIONS    FOR    SERVICE    LINE    EXTEN- 
SIONS. 


Incorporation  of  all  the  principal  ideas  of  improvement  clubs,  commercial 
org-anizations  and  individuals  for  extensions  within  tiie  city;  also  sucli  additional 
or  modified  extensions  as  are  recommended  in  this  report.  Some  of  tlie  evident 
duplication  of  parallel  lines  results  from  a  desire  for  a  competitive  municipal 
.system. 


FIG.   III.      RELIEF   MAP   OF  EXTENSIONS    TO    COMPETITIVE    MUNICIPAL. 

SYSTEM. 

Incorporating  such  extensions  as  will  enable  the  city  to  develop  territory  at 
present  largely  unserved,  and  eventually  a  complete  system  operating  In  direct 
competition  with  the  present  private  system.  Herein  the  city  is  given  the 
preference  of  unoccupied  streets,  and  a  few  lines  are  included  which  parallel 
those  of  the  present  system  in  order  to  reach  competitive  territory.  Much  is 
dependent  upon  the  validity  of  the  five-block  law,  permitting  the  sharing  of  city 
streets  by  independent  companies.  The  possible  extensions  available  to  private 
companies  under  this  competitive  plan  are  comparatively  negligible. 


FIG.  IV.      FIVE-BLOCK    JOINT    TRACKAGE    STUDY. 

Diagrammatic  map  indicating-  tlie  extent  of  possible  utilization  of  existing 
five-block  sections  of  streets  where  the  municipality  is  enabled  to  share  with  the 
present  private  lines  in  the  obtaining  of  routing  and  terminal  privileges. 


Rincon  Publishing  Company 


28   Montgomery    Street,    San   Francisco 


REPORT 


ON 


JRAFHC  AND  SERVICE 


In  the  Downtown  District 


TO   the; 


BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 
City  of  ^an  Francisco 


BY 

BibN  J,   ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


^eliminary  Report  No»  11 


>mitted  Dec.  23,  1912. 


REPORT 


ON 


TRAFFIC  AND  SERVICE 

In  the  Downtown  District 


TO     THE 


BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 
City  of  San  Francisco 


BY 

BION    J.    ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  11 

Submitted  Dec  23,  1912. 


BION  J.  ARNOLD 


FIGURE    I— TYPICAL    DAILY    TRAFFIC    LOAD    CURVE. 


Showing  outbound,  inbound,  and  total  passenger  travel  for  the  United  Rail- 
roads system  for  eacli  hour  of  the  day.  The  fluctuations  within  the  hour  are  not 
indicated  in  this  diagra':n.  The  shaded  section  indicates  outbound  travel  which 
gives  the  most  severe  daily  peak.  Note  that  the  morning  peak,  inbound  (dotted 
lines)  is  considerably  less  severe  than  the  evening  outbound  peak,  which  simply 
increases  the  difficulty  in  arranging  schedules  convenient  for  extra  or  tripper 
trainmen. 


TRAFFIC  AND  SERVICE  IN  THE 
DOWNTOWN  DISTRICT 

PRELIMINARY    REPORT    No.  11. 

RESULTS  OF  TRAFFIC  COUNT  FOR  COMPOSITE  DAY 

AND  ANALYSIS  OF  RIDING  HABIT  AND 

SERVICE   STANDARDS. 

Board  of  Supervisors, 

City  and  County  of  San  Francisco. 
Gentlemen : 

In  accordance  with  Resolution  Number  123  of  your  Board, 
I  herewith  submit  my  report  upon  the  existing  street  railway 
service  in  San  Francisco  and  the  conditions  under  which  such 
service  is  rendered,  with  oreneral  recommendations  thereon,  which 
are  supplemented  by  detailed  recommendations  in  that  chapter  of 
my  final  report  dealing  with  Rerouting  and  Service  Redistribution. 
The  object  of  this  report  is: 

1.  To  show  the  magnitude  of  the  problem  of  transporting  dur- 
ing one  hour  of  heaviest  travel  over  20%  of  the  total  daily  pas- 
senger traffic  at  a  rate  four  to  five  times  the  average  for  the  24 
hours. 

2.  To  indicate  what  character  of  service  is  being  rendered  by 
the  various  railway  lines  under  these  conditions. 

Owing  to  the  variation  in  travel  from  day  to  day,  this  traffic 
study  cannot  represent  all  conditions  that  occur,  but  rather  is  in- 
tended to  give  an  impression  of  typical  operating  conditions  exist- 
ing during  a  normal  business  day,  that  is,  excluding  Saturdays  and 
Sundays  and  other  days  of  unusually  light  or  heavy  travel. 

Further,  the  report  is  confined  to  the  "down-town"  or  loading 
district,  the  outer  limits  of  which  may  be  defined,  from  a  traffic 
standpoint,  as  including  the  points  of  maxirmnn  outhaund  loading 
on  the  individual  routes;  that  is,  the  limits  within  which  the  load- 
ing of  cars  is  completed.  These  points  form  the  basis  of  a  so-called 
"Cordon  count"  of  traffic,  the  object  of  which  was  to  intercept 
during  the  maximum  rush  hour  every  outbound  passenger  on  his 
homeward  journey.  This  sub-division  of  the  traffic  problem  into 
business  district  and  out-lying  district  is  an  entirely  logical  one, 
as  the  needs  of  the  former  differ  entirely  from  those  of  the  latter. 

Footnote:    For  exhibits  accompanying  report,  see  Page  20  and  Appendix, 


SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 


SUMMARY  OP  CONCLUSIONS  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

1.  Adequate  city  transportation  is  largely  a  question  of  meet- 
ing on  the  one  hand  the  capacity  demands  of  the  four  rush  hours, 
when  one-half  of  the  total  day's  travel  must  be  handled,  and,  on 
the  other,  of  providing  a  reasonably  frequent  headway  during  the 
remaining  hours  of  light  travel.  The  former  requires,  for  four 
hours  only,  about  twice  the  number  of  cars  and  crews  necessary 
for  the  balance  of  the  business  day. 

2.  Outside  of  the  extra  investment  in  rush  hour  equipment, 
the  greatest  problem  is  to  provide  a  reasonable  day's  work  for 
rush  hour  trainmen  without  running  idle  cars  during  the  day  to 
fill  out  the  working  day  of  "tripper"  men. 

3.  Of  the  two  rush  hour  periods,  the  evening  has  by  far  the 
heavier  travel— easily  100%  greater  than  the  average  for  the  busi- 
ness day,  and  20%  greater  than  the  morning  peak.  On  practically 
all  lines,  maximum  travel  occurs  within  a  short  period  from  5  :15 
to  5:30  p.  m.,  and  is  approximately  10%  higher  than  the  hourly 
average. 

4.  A  composite  passenger  count  of  all  lines  leaving  the  busi- 
ness district  during  the  evening  rush  hour  indicated  a  total  home- 
ward travel  of  about  49,000  passengers  per  hour,  84%  of  which 
was  city  bound,  and  only  16%  transbay  commuters.  Although 
nearly  15,000  commuters  cross  at  this  time  each  day.  Ferry  bound 
riding  was  found  to  be  generally  light,  as  over  half  of  the  commu- 
ters, encouraged  bj^  street  and  terminal  obstructions,  walk  to  the 
Perry. 

5.  Over  42%  of  the  total  traffic  was  carried  by  Market  and 
Mission  Streets,  while  the  remaining  streets  of  the  Mission  were 
comparatively  little  used,  thus  indicating  the  desirability  of  re- 
routing. All  Market  Street  lines  carried  less  than  12,000  passen- 
gers per  hour,  which  gives  an  indication  of  the  capacity  of  such 
a  throat  of  travel.  Powell  Street,  although  using  the  smallest  cable 
cars  of  the  system,  was  the  heaviest  loaded  cable  line,  and  only 
carried  about  1500  passengers  per  hour. 

6.  The  operations  of  the  Traffic  Squad  have  been  effective  and 
should  be  encouraged,  as  street  congestion  is  responsible  for  a  con- 
siderable reduction  in  speed  and  carrying  capacity.  The  average 
operating  speed  in  the  terminal  district  is  exceedingly  low,  but 
since  1905  the  average  schedule  speed  for  the  city  has  increased 
from  7.6  to  8.5  miles  per  hour,  or  over  12%. 

7.  Every  effort  should  be  made  to  eliminate  unnecessary  stops, 
as  recommended  in  Report  No.  6,  on  the  * '  Relief  of  Lower  Market ' '. 
Within  the  usual  range  of  speed,  a  reduction  of  one  stop  per  mile 
will  result  in  an  increase  in  speed  of  about  5.6%, 

8.  A  study  of  car  distribution  indicates  an  excessive  number 
of  cars  on  lower  Market  Street  and  operating  over  and  above  the 


TRAFFIC  AND   SERVICE  5 

schedule,  due  to  the  progressive  delays  extending  to  and  in  the 
Ferry  loops.  This  will  be  relieved  by  rerouting  and  terminal  im- 
provements. 

9.  The  prepayment  principle  for  collecting  fares  has  not  been 
given  a  fair  trial  in  San  Francisco  especially  as  applied  to  short 
platform  cars  designed  for  non-prepay  collection,  particularly 
those  fitted  with  fare  boxes,  which  require  about  two-thirds  more 
time  to  load  a  passenger  than  for  the  long  platform  of  the  latest 
Oakland  cars.  With  a  properly  designed  platform,  passengers  can 
load  at  a  speed  of  about  one  second  each. 

10.  A  comparison  of  official  schedules  of  1909  and  1912  indi- 
cates on  the  whole  a  small  increase  in  equipment  operated  as  deter- 
mined by  trips  scheduled.  Checks  against  operating  schedules  cover- 
ing every  car  in  the  system  showed  that  practically  all  of  the 
available  rolling  stock  is  being  operated,  there  being  only  8%  idle 
cars  out  of  the  total,  5%  being  held  for  emergencies  and  the  re- 
mainder undergoing  repair. 

11.  The  most  direct  measure  of  service  is  the  average  loading 
of  equipment  during  a  period  long  enough  to  secure  typical  re- 
sults. This  is  expressed  as  total  passenger  load  in  per  cent  of  seats 
furnished,  or  as  per  cent  excess  loading  over  seats. 

12.  Comfortable  standing  should  be  limited  to  50%  above  stand- 
ing capacity  for  cross  seats,  100%  above  for  longitudinal  seats,  or 
3  sq.  ft.  per  standing  passenger  allowed  for  normal  maximum  ca- 
pacity. Thus,  the  California  type  prepay  car,  as  used  on  Geary 
Street,  should  not  carry  much  over  100  passengers  maximum  at 
one  time. 

13.  Analysis  of  service  standards  indicates  excessive  loading  on 
many  routes.  While  the  average  car  loading  throughout  the  city 
during  the  rush  hour  was  58%  in  excess  of  seats  furnished,  that 
of  Mission  Street  was  112%  for  the  hour  and  for  the  heaviest  15- 
minute  period  both  Market  and  Mission  throats  showed  135%  ex- 
cess loading  over  seats  furnished. 

14.  Individual  car  loading  was  frequentl.y  so  excessive  as  to 
make  it  impossible  for  conductors  to  reach  passengers  on  non-pre- 
pay cars.  In  one  case  90  passengers  were  missed  on  a  single  trip — 
38%  of  the  registration — which  shows  the  necessity  for  prepay- 
ment platforms,  properly  designed. 

15.  The  most  prolific  cause  of  excessive  car  loading  is  irregu- 
larity of  headway,  due  to  street  obstructions,  careless  dispatching, 
or  improper  schedules.  At  present,  delays  of  three  to  four  times 
the  headway  are  common. 

16.  Of  all  lines  throughout  the  city,  those  operating  on  Mis- 
sion Street  are  heaviest  loaded,  and  require  first  attention  in  de- 
crea.sed  headway  and  better  equipment.  Of  the  several  cable  lines, 
Powell  Street  conveys  the  most  passengers  during  the  rush  hours, 
and  with  the  most  inadequate  equipment. 


6  SAN   FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

17.  The  great  interchange  of  transfer  passengers  clearly  in- 
dicates the  effectiveness  and  need  of  cross-town  lines  in  city  ser- 
vice. 

18.  The  new  equipment  now  under  construction  will  probably 
reduce  the  average  excess  rush  hour  loading  from  58%  now  to  about 
38%,  which  will  hardly  suffice  for  the  present,  even  neglecting  the 
needs  of  the  Exposition  in  1915,  unless  by  means  of  a  general  re- 
routing, much  car  mileage  now  imused  can  be  conserved  where 
most  needed,  thus  giving  more  service  for  the  same  number  of 
equipments  and  trainmen  on  duty. 

19.  In  conclusion,  permanent  relief  from  the  conditions  above 
enumerated  may  be  obtained  only  by,  1st,  an  increase  in  car  mile- 
age (carrying  capacity)  to  be  secured  through  effective  rerouting 
and  additional  equipment ;  2nd,  more  uniformity  in  headway  to  be 
secured  by  improved  schedules,  inspection  and  dispatching,  and  de- 
creased street  obstruction ;  and  3rd,  increased  operating  speed,  both 
in  the  loading  of  passengers  and  along  thoroughfares. 

Respectfully  submitted. 


C2^ 


Consulting  Engineer. 
Prepared  Dec.  14,  1912. 


TRAFFIC   AND   SERVICE 


GENERAL  DISCUSSION. 

The  Problem  of  the  Rush  Hour.  The  wide  fluctuation  in  ca- 
pacity demand  during  various  hours  of  the  day  is  due  principally 
to  the  fact  that  the  requirements  of  business  cause  practically  all  the 
business  population  of  the  city  to  be  moved  to  and  from  their 
homes  at  about  the  same  periods  of  the  daj' — that  is,  from  7  to  9 
a.  m.  and  4  to  6  p.  m.  During  these  four  rush  hours,  approximately 
one-half  of  the  total  day's  travel  must  be  handled.  The  accom- 
panying diagram  (Fig.  I.)  indicates  graphically  the  enormous 
fluctuations  in  travel  that  must  be  met  by  a  properly  operated  rail- 
way system. 

Furthermore,  a  considerable  difference  exists  between  morning 
and  evening  travel  in  the  suddenness  and  severity  of  the  peak 
loads.  Owing  to  the  lesser  rigidity  of  business  hours  in  the  morn- 
ing, travel  is  spread  over  a  longer  period  than  in  the  evening,  re- 
sulting in  a  lower  peak  load.  Thus,  the  mithound  evening  peak  is 
2.4  times  that  of  the  morning;  while  the  morning  inhound  peak  is 
only  1.4  times  as  great  as  the  inbound  evening  peak.  And  finally, 
the  diiference  in  this  fixed  riding  habit  is  sho\Mi  in  a  total  evening 
peak,  both  inbound  and  outbound,  1.2  times  or  20%  more  than  the 
morning  peak.  It  is  thus  clear  that  any  condition  tending  to  re- 
strict business  hours  within  definite  limits  tends  to  accentuate  the 
suddenneas  and  severity  of  the  daily  rush  hour  peak  load,  and  the 
difficulty  of  giving  adequate  service. 

Analyzing  the  evening  rush  hour  travel  in  more  detail,  it  is 
found  that  the  maximum  on  practically  all  lines  occurs  in  this  city 
between  the  hours  of  5  and  6  p.  m.,  outboimd.  This  is  shown  in 
Fig.  II  where  the  maximum  crest  for  the  entire  system  occurs  with- 
in the  second  15-minute  period.  As  these  counts  were  taken  at  the 
point  of  maximum  loading  on  the  individual  routes,  the  maximum 
period — 5:15  to  5:30 — simply  reflects  the  result  of  the  closing  of 
the  official  day  at  5  :00  p.  m.  ^Market  Street  alone  shows  the  pe- 
culiarity of  a  peak  later  than  5 :30,  due  to  the  closing  of  the  retail 
stores  generally  at  5:30.  However,  the  total  variation  within  the 
hour  is  only  2,400  out  of  12,500  passengers,  or  less  than  20%  of 
the  total. 

The  problem  of  the  rush  hour  therefore  constitutes  the  major 
problem  of  street  railway  transportation,  on  account  of  the  burden 
it  imposes  in  the  matter  of  extra  equipment  and  accessories,  and 
particularly  extra  platform  expense  (motormen  and  conductors) 
for  short-time  men,  who  are  forced  to  accept  a  four-hour  working 
day  or  thereabouts,  unless  the  midday  schedule  is  deliherately  in- 
creased for  the  sole  purpose  of  giving  these  short-time  men  reason- 
able employment.  This  conclusion,  then,  is  capable  of  two  inter- 
pretations : 


8  SAN   FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

First.  With  an  adequate  day  service,  the  rush  hour  service 
must  be  exceedingly  poor. 

Second.  With  an  adequate  rush  hour  service,  the  day  service 
must  be  unnecessarily  good. 

This  condition,  in  effect,  has  occurred  in  the  street  car  opera- 
tions of  this  city.  While  the  maximum  evening  travel  is  2.4  times 
the  minimum  midday  travel,  the  maximum  car  movement  is  only 
1.65  times  that  of  the  minimum  midday — that  is,  65%  additional 
trips  are  run  during  the  evening  rush  period,  which  is  far  too  low 
for  a  proper  balance  of  service.  In  most  large  American  cities 
practically  double  service  during  evening  rush  hour  is  found  nec- 
essary. This  rush  hour  service  ratio  must  be  interpreted  with  cau- 
tion, however,  and  in  the  last  analysis,  the  only  absolute  criterion 
is  actual  average  loading  of  equipment.  This  has  been  determined 
by  the  composite  day  counts,  as  later  presented.  Even  this  meas- 
ure of  the  possibilities  of  service  may  be  misapplied,  for  it  is  pos- 
sible by  a  too  rigid  application  of  the  unit  capacity  rule  to  pre- 
scribe a  rush  hour  service  that  cannot  be  sustained  by  the  resultant 
net  earnings  from  the  business. 

Seasonal  Variation.  In  this  connection,  it  should  be  recalled 
that  the  seasonal  variation  in  traffic  in  the  City  of  San  Francisco 
is  relatively  small,*  as  the  riding  is  nearly  as  heavy  in  summer  as 
in  winter,  so  that  practically  the  same  rolling  stock  may  be  used 
throughout  the  year.  In  some  cities,  where  the  seasonal  and  cli- 
matic variation  is  many  times  greater,  an  entirely  separate  equip- 
ment of  summer  cars  becomes  necessary,  the  duplicate  investment 
in  which  lies  idle  during  the  winter  months  and  vice  versa.  This 
condition  manifestly  results  greatly  to  the  interest  of  any  company 
operating  in  San  Francisco  in  reducing  its  investment  and  thereby 
increasing  the  possibilities  of  good  service. 

Vehicle  Traffic  Counts.  One  very  serious  cause  of  the  in- 
creased difficulties  of  giving  adequate  service  is  the  interference  of 
vehicle  traffic.  A  very  material  improvement,  however,  has  resulted 
from  the  institution  of  traffic  regulation  in  this  city  by  the  Traffic 
Squad  of  the  Police  Department,  with  the  result  that  heavy  and 
slow-moving  vehicles  are  being  gradually  encouraged  to  seek  and 
follow  less  congested  thoroughfares,  which  has  greatly  facilitated 
passenger  movement. t  Table  I  shows  the  actual  volume  of  traffic 
which  now  exists  at  the  various  intersections  listed.  The  more  ef- 
fective this  regulation,  the  more  will  passenger  transportation  be 
improved  in  this  city.  As  an  illustration,  the  vehicle  movement 
at  Fourth  and  Market  Streets  has  already  been  reduced  by  traffic 
regulation  over  100%  since  last  year. 

♦About  10%  above  and  below  mean;  Maximum,  October,  November;  Minimum, 
June,  July. 

fTyplcal  conditions  of  the  congested  downtown  street  intersections  have  been 
illustrated  in  my  report  on  "Methods  for  the  Relief  of  Lower  Market  Street 
Congestion." 


TRAFFIC   AND   SERVICE  9 

Schedule  Speed.  The  average  operating  speed  on  typical  main 
thoroughfares  has  been  compiled  in  Table  II  for  the  purpose  of 
comparing  the  so-called  "city  terminal"  district  with  typical  sec- 
tions of  lines  in  other  parts  of  the  city,  where  slow,  medium,  and 
rapid  running  occur.  While  the  average  schedule  speed  for  the 
entire  city  is  8.5  miles  per  hour,  the  actual  operating  speed  in  the 
terminal  district  is  but  little  over  half — 4.4  miles  per  hour;  in  the 
next  zone  of  operation,  6.7 ;  further  out  in  the  districts  where  ve- 
hicle interference  is  small,  8.9 ;  and  finally  on  thoroughfares  clear 
of  interference,  as  high  as  11.3  miles  per.  hour. 

This  exceedingly  low  speed  in  the  central  terminal  district,  av- 
eraging about  the  same  speed  as  brisk  walking,  undoubtedly  ac- 
counts for  the  loss  to  the  railway  company  of  a  very  large  amount 
of  short-hmil  traffic,  which  is  by  far  the  most  lucrative  of  all  the 
traffic  handled.  Therefore,  any  measures  tending  to  increase  run- 
ning speed  u'iU  make  possible  more  service  in  the  poorly  paying 
outlying  districts  for  the  same  total  income  per  year. 

Since  the  electrification  of  the  cable  lines,  the  schedule  speed 
has  increased  about  12%  and  is  continually  improving,  thus  realiz- 
ing one  of  the  greatest  advantages  of  electric  service. 

1905—7.599  1908—7.91  1911—8.43 

1906—7.647  1909—8.113  1912—8.509* 

1907—6.85  1910—8.284 

These  average  figures  are  based  upon  the  actual  car  hours  or 
running  time  of  trainmen. 

Effect  of  Too  Frequent  Stops.  Another  important  element 
in  preventing  high  schedule  speed  is  too  frequent  stops.  Numerous 
observations  made  on  various  routes  indicate  a  relation  betw^een 
stops  and  speed  as  follows : 

10  stops  per  mile,  528  ft.,  7.5  miles  per  hour. 
8  stops  per  mile,  660  ft.,  8.4  miles  per  hour. 
6  stops  per  mile,  880  ft.,  9.4  miles  per  hour. 
4  stops  per  mile,  1320  ft.,  11.0  miles  per  hour. 
2  stops  per  mile.  2640  ft.,  13.7  miles  per  hour. 

Thus  a  stop  at  every  city  block  of  400  feet  permits  a  speed  of 
only  6.4  miles  per  hour,  while  a  stop  at  every  other  block  would 
permit  an  increase  in  speed  of  over  40%— to  9.2  miles  per  hour. 
This  illustrates  the  necessity  of  eliminating  every  stop  not  actually 
needed  for  serving  the  majority  of  passengers,  and  also  the  desir- 
ability of  alternate  stops  in  sections  of  the  city  where  very  short 
Mocks  occur.  That  550  ft.  is  not  an  unreasonabl  hardship  is  ap- 
parent from  the  fact  that  the  standard  block  in  the  100- Vara  dis- 
trict is  now  550  ft.  wide  by  825  ft.  in  length  along  trunk  lines. 
In  the  Western  Addition  the  average  block  is  only  275  ft.  wide 

♦Eight  months  only. 


10  SAN    FRANCISCO   TFIANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

along  tnmk  lines,  making  possible  over  19  stops  per  mile — entirely 
too  many  for  a  through  or  trunk  line. 

An  effort  may  well  be  made  to  improve  conditions  on  all  trunk 
lines  in  the  city,  of  which  the  following  are  typical : 

stops  per  Mile. 

INIarket  Street,  one  mile  west  from  Ferry  Building.  11 

Misvsion  Street,  one  mile  west  from  Ferry  Building.  9.4 

Sutter  Street,  Market  Street  west 11 

Third-Kearny,  Mission  Street  north 16 

Fillmore  Street,  McAllister  Street  north 16 

Ninth-Polk,  Post  Street  north 15 

Cable  lines,  from  termini 12 

For  one  stop  per  mile  saved  (within  ordinary  ranges  of  speed) 
an  increase  of  speed  averaging  ahoiit  5.6%  will  he  realized,  this 
percentage  increasing  in  proportion  as  the  speed  of  the  line  in- 
creases. 

Relative  Loading  Time.  The  results  of  a  large  number  of  ob- 
servations on  the  various  types  of  cars  in  service  referred  to  in  a 
previous  report  on  lower  Market  Street  indicate  that  the  prepay- 
ment principle  has  not  been  given  a  fair  trial  in  San  Francisco, 
because  of  its  being  applied  to  cars  designed  for  non-prepay  ser- 
vice with  short  or  constricted  platforms.  Thus,  for  a  group  of  25 
passengers  boarding  at  one  point  (a  condition  which  occurs  at  the 
Ferry  regularly),  the  short  platform  cars  fitted  with  fare  boxes 
require  about  two-thirds  more  time  per  passenger  than  for  the  long 
platforms  in  the  latest  Oakland  cars  fitted  with  a  movable  handrail- 
ing.  A  graphical  analysis  of  these  various  types  is  presented  in 
Fig.  Ill/ 

In  Report  No.  7,  Part  II,  detailed  recommendations  are  made 
for  the  improvement  of  the  present  platforms  and  entrances  in 
order  to  facilitate  loading  speed  on  old  as  well  as  new  equipment. 
That  a  large  improvement  can  be  made  is  evident  b.y  comparison 
with  other  cities.  Thus,  in  Chicago,  on  standard  prepayment  cars 
with  long  platforms,  passengers  are  loaded  at  a  speed  under  one 
second  per  passenger  for  the  ordinary  group  of  six  to  twelve  per- 
sons. Under  the  same  conditions,  San  Francisco  cars  require  at 
least  one-half  more  time  to  load  the  same  group. 

Car  Distribution.  An  effective  graphic  illustration  of  condi- 
tions in  San  Francisco  resulting  in  the  present  congestion  of  cars 
along  Market  Street  is  the  car  location  map,  Fig.  IV,  showing  the 
actual  distribution  of  all  cars  on  the  system  at  the  time  of  maxi- 
mum evening  traffic — 5  :15  p.  m.  While  the  rectangular  plan  of 
streets  south  of  Market  provides  outlet  thorouglifares  for  cars  from 
the  business  district  along  parallel  streets,  no  such  thoroughfarer 
exist  north  of  Market,  with  the  result  that  all  lines  of  the  Western 
Addition,  as  well  as  the  cross-town  lines  of  the  northern  distri(K 


TRAFFIC   AND   SERVICE  II 

must  feed  directly  into  Market  Street,  resulting  in  the  congestion 
indicated,  which  is  equivalent  to  an  average  headway  of  only  29 
seconds  between  cars. 

This  condition  can  only  be  relieved  by  the  improvement  of  load- 
ing speed,  diversion  of  unnecessary  vehicle  traffic,  and  rerouting 
of  cars  in  the  terminal  district,  plans  for  M^hich  are  presented  in 
another  chapter. 

Comparisons  of  Headway,  Past  and  Present.  The  actual 
headways  observed  on  the  various  routes  are  of  interest  here  as  com- 
pared with  previous  records. 

(1)  Service  count,  conducted  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 

in  1909. 

(2)  Schedule  submitted  by  operating  company  to  the  Board 

of  Supervisors  in  1911. 

(3)  Check  count  made  during  the  present  year  prior  to  the 

composite  traffic  count,  and  without  the  knowledge  of 
the  operating  company. 

These  comparative  checks  show  not  only  a  general  improvement 
in  service,  although  small,  but  also  no  evidence  of  attempt  by  the 
operating  company  to  temporarily  improve  the  service  on  particu- 
lar lines  counted  while  the  traffic  record  was  being  obtained.  Fur- 
ther evidence  against  possible  distortion  of  the  records  by  the  tem- 
porary addition  of  cars  is  offered  by  the  fact  that  the  entire  avail- 
able equipment  has  been  in  regular  service,  which  automatically 
prevented  any  further  equipment  being  pressed  into  service. 

Check  on  Service.  Additional  check  counts  were  made  on 
July  1st  and  July  15th  without  the  knowledge  of  the  operating  de- 
partments for  comparing  the  official  operating  schedule  with  the 
equipment  actually  operated  on  the  streets  during  these  typical 
working  days.  At  the  same  time,  the  equipment  reserved  in  the 
car  houses  and  shops  or  storage  yards  was  noted,  with  the  follow- 
ing results,  indicating  a  very  slight  variation  in  commissioned 
equipment : 

July  1st  July  15th. 

Number  of  trips  operated    7,594  7,607 

Number  of  cars  commissioned 596  607 

Practically  all  of  the  available  rolling  stock  was  operating  un- 
der the  existing  week-day  schedule — that  is,  every  car  was  sent  out 
on  a  rush  hour  trip,  either  on  a  "regular"  or  an  "extra"  run. 
Out  of  a  total  of  661  cars,  32  cars  were  found  in  the  various  car 
houses  and  22  in  the  car  shops  undergoing  repair.  Thus  with 
only  8%  idle  cars,  5%  were  held  ready  for  emergency  service.  The 
operating  company  is  therefore  using  its  available  rolling  stock  to 
the  best  possible  advantage,  and  it  is  a  creditable  showing  that  so 
large  a  percentage  of  its  equipment  remains  in  service,  which  indi- 
cates a  high  degree  of  maintenance.     This,  of  course,  has  no  bear- 


12  SAN   FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

ing  upon  the  question  whether  or  not  this  equipment  is  adequate 
for  the  requirements  of  rush  hour  service. 

Car  Capacities.  In  the  development  of  a  "service  standard," 
an  element  of  pure  judgment  arises  in  what  may  be  considered 
as  car  capacities — that  is,  seated  load  plus  standing  load.  Various 
methods  have  been  applied  heretofore  to  obtain  a  measure  of  "com- 
fortable" standing  capacity: 

First.  Standing  floor  area  has  been  computed  at  a  fixed  num- 
ber of  square  feet  per  passenger,  considering  standing  passengers 
as  distributed  indiscriminately  throughout  the  car  without  refer- 
ence to  the  maintenance  of  a  proper  aisle  space. 

Second.  An  arbitrarj^  number  of  standing  passengers  is  al- 
lowed opposite  each  seat. 

I  am  inclined  to  favor  the  second  plan,  as  it  is  definite  and 
more  applicable  to  the  particular  type  of  car  under  consideration. 
Thus,  as  a  general  rule,  for  cross  seats  50%  additional  standing 
capacity  will  permit  of  the  maintenance  of  the  proper  aisle  space — 
that  is,  one  standing  passenger  opposite  each  two  seated ;  and  for 
longitudinal  seats  100% — that  is,  one  standing  passenger  opposite 
each  seated  passenger — both  exclusive  of  platform.  The  longest 
platforms  of  San  Francisco  cars  will  accommodate  from  eight  to 
ten  standing  passengers,  and  the  short  platforms,  five  or  six.  This 
rule  applied  to  the  wide  Sutter  Street  cars  on  the  one  hand  and 
the  standard  Geary  Street  cars  on  the  other  results  in  a  relative 
"comfortable"  capacity  of  98  and  81  respectively,  both  with  44 
seats  in  the  car  body. 

While  the  above  rule  may  be  regarded  as  a  "comfortable  ca- 
pacity" for  the  modem  double-truck  San  Francisco  car,  excessive 
loading  under  unusual  traffic  conditions  such  as  baseball  games 
warrants  a  higher  loading.  On  a  basis  of  three  square  feet  per 
standing  passenger,  the  wide  longitudinal  seat  car  will  accommodate 
104  passengers,  and  with  two  square  feet  per  standing  passenger, 
120  passengers  per  car. 

It  is  therefore  recommended  that  reasonable  standards  to  be 
applied  to  all  types  of  cars  are  as  follows : 

(1)  Comfortable  standing,  50%i  in  excess  of  cross  seats,  and 

100%  in  excess  of  longitudinal  seats. 

(2)  Normal  maximum  capacity,  three  square  feet  per  stand- 

ing passenger. 

(3)  Emergency  maximum  capacity,  two  square  feet  per  stand- 

ing passenger. 

The  accompan^dng  "Capacity"  Table  III.,  is  based  upon  these 

standards,  and  applied  in  the  rerouting  studies  later  discussed.     It 

%  is  of  interest  here  to  note  that  on  this  basis,  the  carrying  capacity 

of  a  trunk  line  operating  under  30-second  headway  (as  in  the  case 

of  Market  Street)  will  be  as  follows: 


TRAFFIC   AND   SERVICE  13 

"■California"  Type  Longitudinal  Seat 

Prepay  Car.  Prepay  Car. 

Per  Car.    Per  Hour.  Per  Car.  Per  Hour. 

Comfortable  carrying  capacity       81  9720  96         1152D 

Normal  maximum  capacity....       87         10440  109         13080 

Emersrency  -maximnm  capacity     105         12600  134         16080 

Preferential  Standing.  Allowance  must  be  made,  especially 
in  San  Francisco,  for  the  existing  fact  that  many  passengers  stand 
by  preference  even  when  seats  are  vacant.  The  proportions  to 
which  this  preferential  standing  may  extend  are  well  brought  out 
by  an  investigation  by  the  Wisconsin  Railroad  Commission  cover- 
ing many  thousand  observations,  and  which  showed  that  with  a 
full  carload  as  high  as  20%  of  the  seating  capacity  represents 
sta/nding  hy  preference.  This  only  emphasizes  the  necessity  of  a 
car  design  for  San  Francisco  which  will  recognize  the  desire  of 
many  persons  to  stand,  especially  smokers,  and  consequently  the 
necessity  of  providing  ample  open-air  space.  This  relation  is  ab- 
stracted from  reports  of  the  Wisconsin  Railroad  Commission. 
(Harris  on  the  Milwaukee  St.  Rys.),  as  follows: 


Total  'Load 
on  Car.* 

1-4 

Total  Average  Passengers 
Standing  by  Preference. 

1 

Percentage 
Standing  by  Preference. 

5-9 

1. 

3 

20. 

10-14 
15-19 

2 
3 

17.75 
17.9 

20-24 

4 

18.2 

25-29 
30-34 

5 
6 

18.5 
18.8 

35-39 
40-42 

7 
8 

19.1 
19.5 

Passenger  Flow — Rush  Hour.  In  the  study  of  travel  dur- 
ing the  maximum  or  evening  rush  hour,  it  is  necessary  to  consider 
only  that  outbound  from  the  business  district  in  defining  the  exist- 
ing service  standards.  Although  the  same  number  of  cars  are 
actually  operated  inbound,  the  inbound  travel  is  extremely  light 
and  the  cars  are  so  operated  that  they  may  loop  and  return  to  the 
loading  district  at  the  proper  time  to  pick  up  outbound  travel.  This 
simplifies  the  study  considerably  and  malvcs  it  possible  to  illustrate 
rush  hour  conditions  by  means  of  such  a  diagram  as  shown.  Here 
the  traffic  is  considered  as  originating  in  all  directions  from  the 
center  of  the  business  district,  Third-Kearny-Market  Streets,  con- 
sequently trans-bay  traffic  bound  to  the  Ferry  on  so-called  "in- 
bound" cars  are  here  considered  as  outbound  travel,  but  computed 
separately. 

The  graphical  record,  Fig.  V.,  clearly  indicates  the  preponder- 
ance nf  traffic  on  Market  and  Mission  Streets,  the  convergence  of 

* 42 -seat   car 


14  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

Western  Addition  traffic  into  the  Market  Street  throat,  the  rela- 
tively large  traffic  already  on  Mission  Street  as  compared  with 
parallel  thoroughfares,  the  relatively  small  carrying  capacity  of 
the  cable  lines;  and  finally,  the  small  amount  of  traffic  riding  to 
the  Ferry  as  compared  with  the  total  known  trans-bay  traffic,  due 
to  the  prevalent  walking  habit  of  these  commuters. 

From  this  diagram,  it  is  clear  that  the  streets  of  the  100-Vara 
District,  parallel  to  Market  and  Mission  Streets  must  be  used  more 
for  the  relief  of  these  more  important  thoroughfares,  for  the  diver- 
sion of  traffic  from  Market  to  Mission  Street  would  serve  no  useful 
purpose  unless  some  of  the  present  Mission  Street  traffic  were  di- 
verted further  to  the  south.  As  Howard  Street  is  the  only  low- 
grade  parallel  artery  that  may  be  reserved  for  heavy  vehicle  traf- 
fic, Folsom  Street  must  be  pressed  into  further  use  for  traffic  to 
and  from  the  Mission. 

Total  Rush  Hour  Travel.  A  summary  of  observations  on  all 
these  various  outbound  routes.  Table  V.,  shows  that  for  a  typical 
composite  business  day,  slightly  less  than  49,000  passengers  travel 
homeward  on  the  surface  cars  during  the  maximum  rush  hour  per- 
iod— 5  to  6  p.  m.  Of  this  total,  42,500  or  about  87%  were  handled 
by  the  electric  lines,  and  less  than  13%  by  the  cable  lines;  and 
41,000  or  about  84%  represents  city-bound  traffic,  the  balance  or 
16%  representing  trans-bay  commuter  traffic  to  the  Ferry  terminal. 
Of  the  42,500  passengers  travelling  on  the  electric  lines,  the  Mar- 
ket Street  lines  carry  11,722  per  hour,  or  27.6%,  Mission  Street 
lines  6,431  or  15.1%,  and  the  Sutter  Street  lines,  3,567  or  8.4%. 
The  heaviest  cable  line,  Powell  Street,  carries  less  than  1,500  pas- 
sengers per  hour,  which  slightly  exceeds  the  travel  on  Jones-Hyde 
cable  line.  Thus  the  smallest  cable  cars  of  the  system  are  called 
upon  to  handle  the  heaviest  rush  hour  travel,  although  least  adapted 
for  excess  loading. 

In  addition  to  this  street  railway  travel,  the  ferries  carry  the 
following  commuter  travel  during  the  maximum  evening  rush  hour : 

Per  Hour. 

Total  commuter  traffic  to  Oakland,  Berkeley  and  Alameda     12,480 
Marin   County    1,730 

Total,  transbay   14,210 

Deduct  city  travel  to  Ferry 7,838 

Pedestrian  commuters  to  Ferry 6,372* 

Add  city-bound  travel 40,821 

Grand  total  outbound  passengers,  exclusive  of  commuters 

walking  to  Railroad  Depot 55,031 

*To  check  this  figure,  a  count  of  pedestrians  was  made  by  the  Traffic  Bureau, 
at  Market  Street  and  The  Embarcadero,  which  showed  5,000  persons  using  the 
north  side,  and  2,410  the  south  side  of  Market  Street  between  5  and  6  p.-m.,  or 
7,410  persons  total  through  the  Market  Street  throat. 


TRAFFIC   AND   SERVICE  15 

Throat  or  Cordon  Counts.  Data  for  the  throat  or  cordon 
eounts  comprised  in  the  totals  presented  above  were  obtained  by 
stationing  observers  at  the  various  points  of  maximum  loading  on 
each  of  the  outlet  throats  of  travel.  (Table  IV.)  The  resulting 
records,  shown  for  convenience  in  graphical  form,  indicate  not 
only  the  fluctuations  in  traffic  within  various  periods  of  the  hour 
(Fig.  II)  and  the  relative  loading  of  cars  with  respect  to  the  seat- 
ing capacity  (Fig.  VIII),  but  also  the  comparative  regularity  of 
cars  on  schedule.  (Fig.  VI,)  Thus,  for  the  Market  Street  throat 
at  McAllister  Street,  cars  passed  at  an  average  of  28  seconds  head- 
way, with  only  two  or  three  delays  between  cars,  the  maximum, 
1'45"  duration. 

The  wide  variation  in  passengers  carried  per  car  is  in  fact  a 
peculiarity  of  riding  habit,  rather  than  due  entirely  to  irregu- 
larity of  headway.  There  will  be  noted  in  Fig.  VI  two  crests  of 
travel : 

First — From  five  o  'clock  shoppers  and  office  employees ;  and 

Second — From  the  closing  of  business  at  5  :30  p.  m. 

Individual  loads  occasionally  appear  extreme — in  several  eases 
as  high  as  150  passengers  per  car  of  44  seats  seating  capacity; 
and  this  represents  passengers  actually  on  the  car  at  one  time, 
rather  than  the  total  aggregate  fare  registration  at  the  end  of  the 
trip  which  might  result  from  multiple  riding. 

In  contrast  to  this  outbound  iMarket  Street  throat,  the  out- 
bound traffic  to  the  Ferry  is  exceedingly  light — for  the  most  part 
telow  seating  capacity.  Only  two  peaks  occur— shortly  after  5 
and  5  :30  p.  m.  As  previously  pointed  out.  this  is  due  to  the  walk- 
ing habit  of  trans-bay  commuters. 

The  Mission  Street  throat,  observed  at  Tenth  Street,  shows  a 
very  excessive  peak  for  five  o'clock  traffic,  and  great  irregularity 
in  headway.  This  irregularity  has  been  confirmed  by  other  ob- 
servations of  terminal  arrivals  and  departures  at  the  Ferry. 

These  IMission  lines  undoubtedly  show  the  heaviest  loading  of 
cars  of  any  of  the  lines  of  the  city,  and  on  such  lines  as  "24th  &, 
Hoffman"  the  equipment  is  least  adapted  to  care  for  this  exces- 
sive loading.  With  an  average  headway  of  w- seconds,  delays  were 
recorded  of  3'30"  duration,  which  resulted  in  a  maximum  load 
as  high  as  185  passengers  for  a  44-seat  car.  This  is  all  the  more 
pronounced  in  view  of  the  fact  that  when  the  ^lission  Street  cars 
are  uniform  in  headway,  the  fluctuations  in  loading  due  to  riding 
habit  are  not  nearly-  as  sudden  as  on  ^Market  Street. 

The  Sutter  Street  throat,  counted  at  Polk  Street,  showed  fair 
uniformity''  with  maximum  loads  of  about  100  passengers  when 
no  delays  occurred,  or  125  Avith  delays  of  3'45",  and  Avith  no 
pronounced  5  o'clock  and  5:30  peak.  This  throat  approximated 
more  nearly  a  proper  standard  of  service  than  any  other  lines  of 
the  city. 

The  California  Street  count  sliows  a  remarkable  uniformity  in 


16  SAN    FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

riding  habit  that  can  only  be  explained  by  its  having  an  indi- 
vidual patronage,  and  it  is  the  best  example  of  the  suppression 
of  violent  rush  hour  peaks  as  the  result  of  uniform  headway.  The 
rush  hour  loading  standard  is  easily  within  the  limits  of  com- 
fortable standing,  as  defined  above,  although  it  is  to  be  said  that 
standing  continues  for  the  entire  length  of  the  line,  whereas  on 
the  longer  electric  lines,  standing  does  not  continue  beyond  one- 
half  or  two-thirds  of  the  run. 

The  traffic  on  Geary  Street,  just  before  the  replacement  of  the 
cable  line,  indicated  in  some  respects  a  similar  uniformity  in 
patronage  throughout  the  rush  hour  and  with  somewhat  lighter 
loading  than  California  Street. 

The  Powell  Street  cable  line,  on  the  other  hand,  shows  a  ten- 
dency toward  two  peaks  during  the  rush  hour,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  electric  lines,  and  with  a  tendency  toward  irregularity  in 
headway,  which  results  in  exceeding  the  comfortable  standing  ca- 
pacity. 

Cross-town  lines,  such  as  Polk  Street  and  Fillmore  Street,  show 
only  one  crest  of  travel  during  the  hour,  generally  following  the 
five  o'clock  load. 

The  general  deductions  from  these  records  are  that  the  most 
prolific  cause  of  overloading  is  irregularity  of  headnmy.  It  is  un- 
questionably the  fact  that  during  the  time  these  counts  were  taken 
considerable  delays  were  encountered  on  the  Mission  Street 
thoroughfare,  due  to  the  excessive  heavy  vehicle  traffic  that  had 
to  be  diverted  from  Howard  Street  to  Mission  Street  due  to  the 
installation  of  the  sewer,  making  Howard  Street  impassable.  But 
at  this  time,  the  Police  Traffic  Squad  started  in  its  work,  and  the 
traffic  congestion  would  probably  have  been  worse  on  both  Market 
and  Mission  Streets,  had  it  not  been  for  the  police  regulation, 
which  has  given  most  beneficial  results. 

To  emphasize  this  point  of  delays,  it  is  only  necessary  to  con- 
sider the  effect  on  waiting  patrons  of  the  following  observed  de- 
partures from  uniform,  headway  on  some  of  the  lines  during  the 
rush  hour: 

Line.  Departure.    Headway.        %  Off. 

McAllister 3'18"  2'30"  132.0 

Haight 3'15"  2'00"  162.5 

Valencia 3a5"  2'00"  162.5 

Market 3^5"  2'00"  162.5 

Ingleside   6'30"  6^00"  108.3 

24th  &  Mission 8'30"  2'30"  340.0 

Bryant  .    . 2'53"  4'00"  72.0 

Kentucky    3'30"  4'00"  87.0 

Kearny  &  Beach 4a5"  4'00"  106.0 

Ellis  &  Ocean 2'00"  2'00"  100.0 


TRAFFIC   AND   SERVICE  17 

Compare  the  above  with  California  Street  cable  line  and  Sut- 
ter Street: 

Line.  Departure.    Headway.        %  Off. 

Sutter    rOO"         2'00"  50.0 

California  I'SO"         2'30"  60.0 

It  should  be  said  here  that  the  character  of  some  of  the  equip- 
ment on  Mission  Street  is  least  suited  to  the  handling  of  these 
excessive  crests  of  travel.  And  the  first  steps  toward  the  im- 
provement of  service  should  be  taken  on  these  lines,  rather  than 
on  lines  such  as  Sutter  Street,  where  the  conditions,  relatively 
speaking-,  are  not  nearly  as  serious. 

Load  Distribution  Along  Route.  To  illustrate  the  reason  for 
the  selection  of  the  points  of  traffic  counts  listed  in  Table  IV,  it 
is  only  necessary  to  refer  to  loading  curves  for  typical  routes, 
Fig.  VII,  which  show  progressive  loading  and  unloading  from 
terminal  to  terminal.  Here  it  will  be  noticed  that  maximum 
travel  occurs  on  the  various  routes  at  a  distance  from  the  origin 
which  has  very  little  bearing  upon  the  location  or  the  length  of 
the  route,  but  rather  reflects  the  peculiarities  of  the  riding  habit. 
On  this  account,  all  throat  counts  have  been  checked  at  points  of 
maximum  loading  with  reference  only  to  actual  trip  records. 

This  diagram,  Fig.  VII,  is  designed  to  show  the  relative  load- 
ing at  various  points  of  the  line  with  respect  to  the  maximum 
only,  and  irrespective  of  the  actual  number  of  persons  on  the 
car.  It  may  therefore  be  called  the  route  characteristic  curve 
applicable  to  all  rush  hour  cars.  These  records  have  been  ob- 
tained for  all  lines  and  are  interpreted  in  the  "Rerouting"  chapter. 

ANALYSIS  OF  SERVICE. 

The  relative  degree  or  quality  of  service  is  best  expressed  by 
ratio  between  seats  furnished  and  total  passengers  carried  at  the 
maximum  loading  points.  It  has  already  been  stated  that  if  this 
average  car  loading  is  analyzed  by  different  periods  shorter  than 
one  hour,  the  relative  loading  appears  much  higher  than  the  aver- 
age for  the  hour.  In  the  accompanying  analysis.  Table  V,  the 
percentages  are  obtained  for  15  minutes  and  30  minutes,  as  well 
as  for  60-minute  periods.  The  use  of  as  short  a  time  as  15  minutes 
is  impracticable  on  lines  of  long  headway,  as  at  least  10  cars 
should  be  embraced  within  the  average  to  secure  typical  results. 
Therefore,  for  the  lighter  lines,  the  full  hour  should  be  used  in 
studying  service  standards;  for  lines  such  as  Sutter  and  Haight 
Streets,  30  minutes ;  and  for  the  IMarket  and  Mission  Street  throats 
the  15-minute  period  should  be  used  under  normal  conditions  of 
operation. 

Rush  Hour.  Taking  the  hourly  basis,  it  was  found  that  the 
average  loading  for  all  lines  of  city-hound  passengers  only  was 
158%,  i.  e.,  58%  excess  passengers  over  seats;  or  for  every  100 


18  SAN   FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

seats  outbound  there  M^ere  58  passengers  forced  to  stand.  For  the 
electric  lines  only,  the  corresponding  loading  was  158.5%  and  for 
the  cable  lines  155.4%  of  the  seating  capacity. 

These  figiires  give  due  credit  to  the  operating  company  for  all 
unoccupied  seats — that  is,  they  recognize  the  standing  by  prefer- 
ence, due  to  the  fact  that  many  people  stand  even  with  seats 
vacant,  as  has  been  previously  explained.  This  standing  by  pref- 
erence is  rarely  credited  to  the  companies  in  the  consideration  of 
service  standards. 

If  the  transbay  traffic  to  the  Ferry  be  included,  the  average 
loading  for  the  system  is  then  reduced  to  131.1%,  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  Ferry-bound  traffic  is  relatively  light,  averaging  for  the 
hour  only  69.2%  of  the  seating  capacity,  i.  e.,  one-third  more  seats 
than  passengers.  But  it  is  not  deemed  proper  to  include  in  the 
final  analysis  this  transbay  commuter  traffic  to  the  Ferry,  for  the 
reason  that  it  is  handled  almost  entirely  on  inbound  cars  and  has 
no  bearing  on  the  outbound  city  service. 

It  is  necessary  to  state  here  that  the  above  percentage  load- 
ings, while  apparently  fair  considered  on  the  rush  hour  basis,  are, 
in  reality,  entirely  too  high.  It  has  already  been  pointed  out  that 
the  ratio  between  rush  hour  and  base  midday  schedule  indicated 
too  low  a  rush  hour  service  standard.  These  throat  counts  fully 
confirm  this  conclusion.  In  modern  urban  transportation,  where 
the  rush  hour  load  much  exceeds  133%  of  the  seating  capacity 
on  an  average,  excessive  standing  results.  Here  the  rush  hour 
average  of  city-bound  traffic  is  158%,  or  nearly  20%  higher. 

Analysis  by  Periods.  The  serious  nature  of  the  existing  ser- 
vice on  some  of  these  important  lines  will  be  apparent  from  the 
following  comparison  of  loading  percentages : 

Maximum  Maximum 

Trunks  or  Routes.  Full  Hour.    Half-hour.        Quarter-hour. 

Market  Street   206  215  232 

Mission  Street  212  230  235 

Sutter  Street  190  194  204 

Folsom  Street   144  180  194 

Turk  &  Eddy 171  180  188 

Mission  &  24th 230  262  270 

Cemeteries    222  241  271 

These  relations  are  more  striking  when  shown  graphically  for 
successive  15-minute  periods.  (Fig.  VIII.)  The  maximum  crest 
of  travel  clearly  occurs  in  the  second  period  for  city  travel  only, 
while  travel  to  the  Ferry  decreases  steadily  after  five  o'clock. 

Carrying  this  analysis  to  a  finality,  i.  e.,  to  single  cars,  it  is 
found  that  extremely  severe  loading  occurs  on  many  lines  to  an 
extent  of  which  the  usual  operating  records  available  give  no  indi- 
cation. For  example,  23  trips  on  various  routes  showed  over  200% 
loading,  three  trips  over  300%  and  one  as  high  as  383%  loading. 
However,  as  before  stated,  individual  trips  cannot  be  taken  as  a 


TRAFFIC   AND   SERVICE  19 

fair  basis  for  computing  service  standards  unless  in  conformity 
with  the  average  record  of  the  period,  including  at  least  10  cars. 

Check  on  Conductors*  Records.  The  above  mentioned  dis- 
parity between  the  records  of  the  operating  department  and  those 
found  by  actual  count  may  largely  be  accredited  to  the  fact  that  it 
is  a  physical  impossibility  for  any  conductor  to  keep  an  accurate 
record  of  passengers  or  fares  where  continued  car  loading  as  ex- 
cessive as  that  enumerated  above  is  encountered.  And  here  exists 
the  most  forcible  argument  for  the  installation  of  the  prepayment 
principle  on  all  lines. 

To  make  sure  of  results,  as  many  as  five  observers  were  sta- 
tioned on  the  non-prepayment  cars  of  both  double-truck  and  single- 
truck  type.  These  counts  showed  the  following  missed  fares  or 
passengers  missed  by  the  conductor  on  a  single  trip : 

1  line  was  90  passengers  short; 
4  lines  were  50  passengers  short; 
8  lines  were  25  passengers  short; 
13  lines  were  10  passengers  short. 

Thus,  in  one  case,  the  Kentucky  Street  line,  during  a  typical 
rush  hour  period,  38%  of  the  total  registration  was  missed  on  a 
single  car  trip.  In  comparison  therewith,  only  two  prepayment 
lines  showed  10  passengers  or  over  missed  by  the  conductor,  the 
average  being  four  or  five,  and  in  these  two  cases,  the  excessive 
crowding  on  the  rear  platform  (which  is  against  the  rules  of  the 
Company)  prevented  the  conductor  from  reaching  the  passengers 
clinging  to  the  rear  step. 

It  is  therefore  deemed  unquestionable  that  the  prepayment  car 
has  served  a  most  useful  purpose  in  securing  the  proper  income  that 
should  be  derived  from  the  passenger  traffic  handled  which  should 
not  be  considered  for  the  sole  purpose  of  increasing  dividends, 
as  often  considered,  but  also  for  the  purpose  of  securing  from  this 
justly  increased  revenue  the  additional  car  service  made  possible 
thereby. 

New  Equipment.  For  the  purpose  of  a  rough  comparison,  it 
is  estimated  that  the  addition  of  the  65  cars  now  under  construc- 
tion for  the  United  Railroads  will  effect  a  reduction  in  the  rush 
hour  loading  of  outbound  city  traffic  from  158%  to  about  138%. 
Thus,  this  new  equipment  will  hardly  suffice  to  bring  about  a  proper 
service  standard  for  the  present,  to  say  nothing  of  demands  of  the 
future  or  of  the  Panama-Pacific  Exposition  in  1915. 

The  exact  computations  of  additional  service  required,  how- 
ever, should  be  made  upon  a  standard  car-mile  or  seat-mile  basis, 
which  automatically  compensates  for  wide  variations  in  length  and 
speed  of  various  routes.  Detailed  recommendations  upon  this  sub- 
ject will  be  made  in  another  chapter — "Rerouting  and  Service  Re- 
distribution. '  * 


TRAFFIC   AND   SERVICE 


2t 


APPENDIX. 


Table 

I. 

Table 

II. 

Table 

III. 

Table 

IV. 

Table 

V. 

Table 

VI. 

Figure 

I. 

Figure 

II. 

Figure 

III. 

Figure 

IV. 

Figure 

V. 

Figure 

VI. 

Figure 

VII. 

Figure 

VIII. 

PRELIMINARY    REPORT    No.  11. 

EXHIBITS  ACCOIMP ANTING  REPORT. 

Vehicle  traffic  observations. 
Typical  operating  speed  of  car  lines. 
Recommended  capacitj^  of  car  equipment. 
Location  of  various  throat  counts. 
Summary  of  rush  hour  standards. 
Detailed  analvsis  of  service  standards. 


Typical  daily  traffic  load  curve — Frontispiece, 

Typical  rush  hour  traffic  load  curve. 

Comparative  loading  time  of  San  Francisco  cars. 
Distribution  of  cars  during  rush  hour. 
Relative  volume  of  passenger  flow,  rush  hour,  out- 
bound. 
Typical  record  of  passenger  counts,  at  outlet  throats. 
Loading  characteristics  of  typical  routes. 
Rush  hour  variation  in  service  standards. 


22 


SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 


TABLE  I— VOLUME   OF  VEHICLE   TRAFFIC. 

Observations  bv  Traffic  Bureau,  Police  Department,  during  March, 
April  and  July,  1912. 

Average 
Count  Points.  Hourly  Traffic. 

Third  and  Market 730 

Fourth  and  Market 982 

Post  and  Kearny 478 

Sutter  and  Kearny 472 

Sutter  and  Grant 473 

Post  and  Grant 528 

Geary  and  Grant 449 

O'Farrell  and  Stockton 449 

Sutter  and  Powell 323 

Ellis  and  Powell 354 

Sutter  and  Montgomery 459 

Third  and  Mission 721 

Fourth  and  Mission 826 

Sixteenth  and  Mission 420 

Polk  and  Sutter 417 

Fillmore  and  Sutter 160 

Post  and  Stockton 397 

Third  and  Howard 469 

Fourth  and  Howard 468 

Sixth  and  Market 722 

TABLE   II— TYPICAL   OPERATING  SPEED— MAIN 
THOROUGHFARES. 


streets.  Distance. 

OITY  TERMINAL: 

Market 0.552 

Post  .   .    0.71 

Kearny  and  'Third..  0.485 

Sutter    0.331 

Montgomery 0.443 

Average 

SLOW: 

Sacramento 1.47 

California    2.80 

Divisadero 1-48 

Third 0.836 

Mission 0.595 

Halght 0.86 

Leavenworth  .   .    ...  0.461 

Average 

MEDIUM: 

Sixteenth 0.983 

Hayes 0.831 

Hayes  and  Stanyan  1.53 

Sutter 0.965 

Bryant 1.23 

LaVkin 0.709 

Eddy 1.184 

Market  and   Castro.  1.06 

McAllister 1.47 

Folsom 0.773 

Guerrero 1.09 

Gough 0.441 

Average 

RAPID: 

O'Farrell 1.31 

Mission 1.61 

Kentucky 1.26 

Valencia 1.89 

Point  Lobos  Ave 0.988 

Howard 1.07 

Fulton 1.48 

Clement  .  .  1.48 

Lincoln  Way 2.79 

Average 

Average  sneed  for  entire  city 


Time. 

7'  06" 
6'  45" 
5'  45" 
9'  00" 
4'  30" 


11'  30" 
21'  45" 
12'  30" 
8'  00" 
7'  00" 
8'  00" 
4'  00" 


7'  00" 

6'  00" 

6'  00" 

6'  00" 

8'  00" 

5'  00" 

8'  00" 

7'  00" 

10'  30" 

5'  30" 

8'  00" 

2'  45" 


7'  30" 

9'  00" 

5'  45" 

11'  00" 

5'  00" 

6'  15" 

6'  15" 

8'  45" 

14'  00" 


Miles  per 
Hour. 

4.664 
6.306 
5.058 
2.206 
5.906 
4.416 

7.658 

7.7 

7.104 

6.27 

5.099 

6.88 

6.915 

6.6i85 

8.415 

8.3 

9.18 

9.65 

9.225 

8.232 

8.88 

9.08 

8.393 

8.425 

8.175 

9.621 

8.931 


10.48 

10.722 

13.14 

10.26 

11.856 

10.272 

14.17 

10.151 

11.938 

11.311 

(schedule),  8.529 


Location. 

Sansome- Powell. 
Montgomery-Leavenworth. 
Bush-Howard. 
Sansome- Stockton. 
Washington -Post. 


Stockton -Fillmore. 
Market -Presidio. 
Oak -Sacramento. 
Townsend-Market. 
Valencia-Richland. 
Market- Divisadero. 
Post-McAllister. 


Bryant-Church. 
Larkin -Fillmore. 
Divisadero-Fulton. 
Kearny-Van  Ness. 
Third-Alameda. 
Market-Post. 
Mason -Webster. 
Gough-Eighteenth. 
Market -Divisadero. 
Steuart-Fourth. 
Eight  eenth-Vallejo. 
McAUister-Haight. 


Hyde -Divisadero. 

Third -Fourteenth. 

Hubble-Twenty-third  St. 

Gough-Mission. 

33d  Ave.-48th  Ave. 

3d  St.-lOth  St. 

8th  Ave. -33d  Ave. 

8th  Ave. -33d  Ave. 

1st  Ave.-48th  Ave. 

miles  per  hour. 


TRAFFIC   AND   SERVICE 


23 


TABLE 

III— 

CAR 

LOADING 

STANDARDS    ELECTRIC 

EQUIPMENT 

Total  Capacity. 

Per  Cent  Loading. 

I. 

II. 

III. 

I. 

II. 

III. 

Type.    Seats 

.    Com 

-     Nor- 

Emer- 

Com- 

Nor- 

Emer^ 

Routes  Operated 

fort  a 

-     mal, 

gency, 

forta- 

mal, 

gency 

On 

ble. 

Max 

,  Max. 

ble. 

Max. 

Max. 

1-12 

56 

100 

106 

122 

178 

189 

218 

San  Mateo. 

101-180 

44 

m 

108 

134 

218 

248 

305 

Hayes;    Sutter. 

681-698 

44 

71 

99 

127 

161 

225 

289 

Kentucky. 

700-712 

43 

79 

88 

110 

184 

195 

256 

Kearny;    Parkside. 

731-745 

40 

73 

97 

137 

182 

243 

343 

Folsom. 

1001-1024 

40 

73 

94 

135 

182 

235 

337 

Mission  and  24th. 

1225-1244 

48 

72 

78 

82 

150 

162 

171 

Cemeteries. 

1300-1425 

40 

73 

77 

96 

182 

192 

240 

Fillmore- Valencia; 
Fillmore-Sixteenth; 
Mission-Rich-mond; 
Kearny. 

1500-1549 

44 

80 

87 

100 

182 

198 

227 

McAllister,  9th  and  Polk, 

1550-1749 

44 

86 

93 

110 

195 

211 

250 

Valencia,    Haight; 
Ellis-Ocean,  Market; 
'Ingleside,  Howard. 

Single 

truck 

28 

55 

75 

99 

196 

288 

353 

18th   St.,   Fillmore  Hill; 
Sixth   and    Sansome; 
Tenth  and  Montgomery. 

Geary 

47 

81 

87 

105 

172 

185 

223 

New. 

1912, 

U.  R.  R. 

49 

88 

95 

121 

163 

194 

246 

New. 

Seating  capacity,  longitudinal  seats,  based  on  17  inches  per  passenger. 

I.  Comfortable  standing — 150%  cross  seats,  200%  longitudinal  seats. 

II.  Normal  maximum  loading  (3  square  feet  per  passenger). 

III.  Emergency  maximum  loading  (2  square  feet  per  passenger),   (both  plat- 
forms or  both  running  boards). 


TABLE   IV— CORDON  OR  THROAT   COUNTS- 
OBSERVATIONS. 


-POINTS   OF 


Count  No. 

Powell  at  Post 30  North. 

Third  at  Brannan 39  South. 

Polk  at  Sutter 25  North. 

Sutter  at  Polk 26-A-B  West. 

Eddy  at  Jones 27  West. 

Ellis  at  Jones 29  West. 

Post  at  Powell 32  West. 

Kearny  at  Sacramento 38  North. 

Sacramento  at  Kearny 37  West. 

Kearny  at  Pacific  (Union  line  only)....  41  North. 

Fourth  at  Townsend 40  South. 

California  at  Kearny 33  West. 

Geary  at  Jones 34  West. 

Jones  at  O'Farrell 35  North. 

Folsom  at  Fifth 44  South. 

Mission  at  Tenth 51  South. 

Bryant  at  Eighth 45  South. 

Harrison  at  Eighth 52  South. 

Market  at  McAllister 55  West. 

Market  at  Sutter 64  East. 

California  at  Drumm 106  East. 

Sansome  at  Broadway 107  North. 

Ninth  at  Mission 108  South. 

East  at  Clay 109  East. 

East  at  Mission Ill  East. 

East  at  Mission 112  East. 

Note:     Counts   taken   at  transfer  points   include   outbound  transfer  traffic  on 
*xunk  linea. 


24  SAN   FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

TABLE    V— SUMMARY   OF    THROAT   COUNTS. 


Outbound  Traffic  from  Business  District,  Rush  Hour,  5  to  6  p.  m. 


Total 
passen- 
gers. 
UNITED    RAILROADS. 

To  City  Only — 

Electric   Lines: 

Third   at  Brannan 1,555 

Polk  at  Sutter 1,197 

Sutter  at  Polk 3,586 

Eddy  at  .Jones 1,509 

Ellis  at  Jones 2,626 

Post  at  Powell 595 

Kearny  at  Sacramento  ....  1,567 

Fourth  at  Townsend 207 

Folsom  at  Fifth 893 

Mission  at  Tenth 6,435 

Bryant  at  Eighth 1,898 

Harrison  at  Eighth 128 

..Market  at  McAllister 11,722 

Ninth  at  Mission 455 

Sansome  at  Broadway  ....  27 

Total  electric  to  city 34,400 

Cable  Lines: 

Powell  at  Post 1,479 

■Sacramento  at  Kearny  ....  736 

Total  calble  to  city 2,215 

Total  to  city 36,615 

To  Ferry  Only — 

Electric  Lines: 

Market  at  Sutter 5,284 

Bast  at  Mission 1,828 

East  at  Clay 36 

Total  electric  to  Ferry..  7,148 

Cable  Lines: 

East  at  Clay 198 

Total  cable  to  Ferry 198 

Total  to  Ferry 7,346 

Grand  Total— LJ.  R.  R 43,961 


Seats      Loading — %  of  seating  capacity, 
fur-  For         Per  max.    Per  max. 

nished.  hour.  30  min.        15  min. 


1,731 

101.2 

103.4 

103.5 

748 

159.6 

173.2 

182.8 

1,886 

190.1 

194.1 

203.18 

880 

171.1 

179.8 

187.6 

1,496 

175.4 

206.0 

206.4 

522 

114.1 

121.8 

127.5 

1,312 

119.2 

122.1 

141.9 

968 

21.4 

24.2 

32.3 

620 

144.1 

180.2 

194.1 

3,024 

212.2 

230.0 

235.0 

1,360 

139.3 

150.9 

174.4 

377 

38.0 

46.8 

46.5 

5,672 

206.8 

215.1 

232.1 

792 

57.6 

72.0 

81.9 

261 

10.3 

10.3 

13.S 

21,649 

158.8 

168.9 

183.0 

924 

159.9 

166.5 

167.8 

576 

127.7 

138.1 

141.6 

1,500 

147.4 

108.0 

156.8 

23,149 

158.2 

163.1 

181.1 

5.674 

93.2 

94.2 

108.8 

3,402 

53.7 

57.2 

61.4 

344 

10.5 

15.7 

18.6 

9,420 

75.9 

77.0 

89.0 

540 

36.6 

41.2 

55.5 

540 

36.6 

41.2 

55.5 

9,960 

73.18 

75.4 

87.4 

33,109 


OTHER    COMPANIES. 

To  City  Only- 
Electric  Lines: 
Kearny  at  Pacific 607 

Total  electric  to  city 607 

Cable  Lines: 

California  at  Kearny  .    1,289 

Geary  at  Jones 955 

Jones  at  O'Farrell 1,355 

Total  cable  to  city 3,599 

Total  to  city 4,206 

To  Ferry  Only — 

Electric  Lines: 
East  at  Clay 215 

Total  electric  to  Ferry. .        215 

Cable  Lines: 
California  at  Drumm 277 

Total  cable  to  Ferry  ...        277 
Total  to  Ferry 492 

Grand  Total— Other  Lines 4,698 


504 


532 


532 
816 


816 
1,348 

4,082 


120.3 


40.4 


40.4 
33.9 


33.9 
36.5 


135.2 


49.4 


49.4 
41.2 


4L2 
46.7 


139.3 


504 

120.3 

135.2 

139.3 

850 
780 
600 

151.7 
122.5 
225.4 

158.1 
127.9 
242.2 

159.8 
136.3 
254.6 

2,230 
2,734 

161.3 
153.8 

169.1 
163.1 

175.5 
169.2 

59.2 


59.2 
58.8 


58.8 
59.1 


NOO' 


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seating 
r  max. 
)  min. 

capacity. 

Per  max. 

15  mdn. 

185.0 
138.0 

L63.5 

182.1 
168.3 

180.3 

77.1 
45.2 

87.6 
57.9 

72.2 


83.8 


iC  CC  CC  CC         CO 


UNITEXV    RAIL- 


45-6:00      Total. 

),744  40,821 

1.51  1.58 


1,352  7,838 

0.59  0.69 


1,096  48,659 


;  t-m  tOM        « 


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'  seating  capacity 
r  max.    Per  max. 
)  min.        15  mln. 

185.0 
138.0 

182.1 
168.3 

163.5 

180.3 

77.1 
45.2 

87.6 
57.9 

72.2 


83.8 


.   Irt  CC  CC  CO         CO 


•UNITED    RAIiL- 


45-6:00      Total. 


C 

c 
Q 


),744  40,821 

1.51  1.58 


•-^       —  ^1  ^^  C-l 

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1,352  7,838 

0.59  0.69 


1,096 


48,659 


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TRAFFIC   AND   SERVICE  25 

TOTAL.   OUTBOUND   TRAFFIC— UNTTED   RAILROADS   AND    OTHER 

COMPANIES. 

Total  Seats      Loading — %  of  seating  capacity, 

passen-          fur-  For          Per  max.    Per  max. 

gers.           nished.  hour.          30  min.        15  mln. 
Total  City  Bound — 

Electric. 35,007          22,153  158.9            185.0            182.1 

Cable 5,814            3,730  155.9            138.0            168.3 

Total 40,821          25,883  157.8            163.5            180.3 

Total  Ferry  Bound — 

Electric 7,363            9,952  74.0              77.1              87.6 

Cable 475            1,356  35.0              45.2              57.9 

Total 7,838           11,308  69.3              72.2              83.8 

Total  electric,  outbound.   42,370  32,105 

Total  cable,  outbound...     6,289  5,086 

Grand  Total 48,659  37,191 

TOTAL    OUTBOUND    TRAFFIC     STUDIES,     BY  PERIODS— UNITED    RAIL- 
ROADS   AND    OTHER    COMPANIES. 

5:00-5:15    5:15-5:30  5:30-5:45    5:45-6:00      Total. 
City  Bound  Only — 

Passengers 9,463          11,591  10,023            9,744          40,821 

Per  cent  loading 1.42              1.78  1.50              1.51              1.58 

Ferry  Bound  Only — 

Passengers 2,456            1,784  2,156            1,352             7,838 

Per  cent  loading 0.78              0.65  0.83              0.59              0.69 

Total  Passengers 12,009          13,375  12,179           11,096          48,659 


TRAFFIC   AND   SERVICE  25 

TOTAL,  OUTBOUND   TRAFFIC— UNITED   RAILROADS   AND    OTHER 

COMPANIES. 

Total  Seats      Loading — %  of  seating  capacity, 

passen-          fur-  For          Per  max.    Per  max. 

gers.          nlshed.  hour.         30  min.        15  mln. 
Total  City  Bound — 

Electric. 35,007          22,153  158.9            185.0            182.1 

Cable 5,814            3,730  155.9            138.0            168.3 

Total 40,821          25,883  157.8            163.5            180.3 

Total  Ferry  Bound — 

Electric 7,363            9,952  74.0              77.1              87.6 

Cable 475            1,356  35.0              45.2              57.9 

Total 7,838           11,308  69.3              72.2              83.8 

Total  electric,  outbound.  42,370  32,105 

Total  cable,  outbound...     6,289  5,086 

Grand  Total 48,659  37,191 

TOTAL    OUTBOUND    TRAFFIC     STUDIES,     BY  PERIODS— UNITED    RAIL- 
ROADS   AND    OTHER    COMPANIES. 

5:00-5:15    5:15-5:30  5:30-5:45    5:45-6:00      Total. 
City  Bound  Only — 

Passengers 9,463          11,591  10,023            9,744          40,821 

Per  cent  loading 1.42              1.78  1.50              1.51              1.58 

Ferry  Bound  Only — 

Passengers 2,456            1,784  2,156            1,352             7,838 

Per  cent  loading 0.78              0.65  0.83              0.59              0.69 

Total  Passengers 12,009          13,375  12,179          11,096          48,659 


BION  J.  ARNOLD 

'7Ti9y'py^7',  "                                                  

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5.30 


5:45 


6:00  RM, 


FIGURE   II— TYPICAL.   RUSH   HOUR   LOAD    CURVE    BY   FIFTEEN-MINUTE 

PERIODS. 

Showing-  the  wide  variation  in  travel  during  the  maximum  evening-  rush  hour 
— 5  to  6  p.  m. — for  the  total  system  sei-ving  the  business  district,  and  also  for 
important  throats  of  travel.  Note  the  maximum  period  of  travel  occurs  between 
5:15  and  5:30  p.  m.,  excepting  Market  Street  and  a  few  other  lines. 


BION  J.  ARNOLD 


FIGURE   III— COMPARATIVE   LOADING   TIME    OF   SAN   FRANCISCO   CARS. 

Indicating-  botli  the  total  time  and  tiie  seconds  per  passenger  required  for 
loading  various  groups  of  passengers  on  the  several  types  of  San  Francisco  cars 
as  compared  with  the  latest  type  of  equipment  in  use  in  Oakland  and  Chicago. 
The  box  collection  here  shown  applies  to  short-platform  cars  only.  Both  types  of 
Oakland  cars  shown  use  fare  box  collection.  Note  that  long-platfoi-m  Chicago 
cars  load  from  ten  to  fifteen  passengers  at  a  rate  of  about  one  second  each, 
requiring  a  stop  of  only  ten  to  fifteen  seconds  as  compared  with  twenty  to  thirty 
seconds  per  stop  in  San  Francisco. 


FIGURE   V— DIAGRAM    OF   PASSENGER    FLOW    OUTBOUND    FROM    BUSI- 
NESS DISTRICT    DURING    EVENING    RUSH    HOUR. 

This  record  is  based  upon  a  complete  traffic  count  of  the  entire  city  at  throats 
of  heaviest  travel.  The  relative  widths  of  lines  indicate  graphically  the  propor- 
tionate volume  of'  travel  over  the  various  outbound  thoroughfares,  also  the  pro- 
gressive decrease  in  load  toward  the  outer  termini.  Numbers  indicate  actual 
volume  of  travel  at  various  throat  points.  Note  the  comparatively  small  usage 
of  thoroughfares  south  of  Mission  Street  and  small  volume  of  travel  toward  the 
Ferry.  Third  and  Kearny  Streets  are  considered  as  the  dividing  line  of  travel 
city-bound  and  Ferry-bound,  respectively. 


TS    OF    OUTBOl'ND    RUSH-HOUR    TRAVEL. 

ults  of  delays  in  increasing  car  loading-,  variation  in  riding  habit  dmiiis  the 
ble  travel  as  compared  with  the  wide  fluctuation  in  travel  on  electric  lines. 
for  the  avoidance  of  delays  so  as  to  make  uniform  headway  possible. 


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This  rliasiKiii  shows  c-omparatlve  rfsula 
rush  liour.  the  romparaUvely  small  volume  of 
and  llie  actual  headway  along  trunk  lines  resulting  from  the  opei' 


of  .ipi'ratlrn.  niaxr.num  loading  of  cars  as  compared  with  seals,  results  of  delavs  in  inirmising  car  loading,  variation  in  ridina  habit  during  the 
the  Perry,  the  peculiar  uniformity  of  California  Street  cable  travel  as  compared  with  the  wide  fluctuation  in  travel  on  eleolric  lines. 
Note  the  great  necessity  for  tile  avoidance  of  delays  so  ns  to  make  uniform  headway  possible. 


of  tributary  rou 


BION  J.ARNOLD 


FIGURE    Vn— LOADING    CHARACTERISTICS    OP    TYPICAL    ROUTES. 

Indicating  the  great  variety  of  conditions  to  be  met  in  serving  long  and  short- 
haul  lines  and  those  having  heavy  transfer  traffic. 

"A"  shows  the  heavy  loading  of  south-bound  trunk  lines  at  Third  and  Kearny 
Streets.  At  "B"  practically  the  entire  Market  Street  load  transfers  to  the 
Castro  Street  cable.  At  "C"  half  of  the  load  transferred  to  and  from  Market 
Street.  "E"  shows  the  importance  of  cross-town  transfers  to  the  Union  Street 
line.  "D"  indicates  the  heavy  transfer  load  to  Ellis-Ocean  from  the  Haight 
Street  terminus  at  Stanyan  Street. 

Observe  that  Sutter  Street  cars  reach  their  maximum  load  within  one-half 
mile  of  Market  Street — i.  e.,  east  of  Stockton  Street. 


BION  J.  ARNOLD 

T!                                        T 

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S 


FIGURE    VII— LfOADING    CHARACTBRISITICS    OF    TYPICAX,    ROUTES. 

Indicating  the  great  variety  of  conditions  to  be  met  in  serving  long  and  short- 
haul  lines  and  those  having  heavy  transfer  traffic. 

"A"  shows  the  heavy  loading  of  south-bound  trunk  lines  at  Third  and  Kearny 
Streets.  At  "B"  practically  the  entire  Market  Street  load  transfers  to  the 
Castro  Street  cable.  At  "C"  half  of  the  load  transferred  to  and  from  Market 
Street.  "E"  shows  the  importance  of  cross-town  transfers  to  the  Union  Street 
line.  "D"  indicates  the  heavy  transfer  load  to  Ellis-Ocean  from  the  Haight 
Street  terminus  at  Stanyan  Street. 

Observe  that  Sutter  Street  cars  reach  their  maximum  load  within  one-half 
mile  of  Market  Street — i.  e.,  east  of  Stockton  Street. 


■  rON  J.  ARNOLD 


eso 


Z2S 


200 


\TS 


150 


125 


5-00 


S-\5 


5:30 


5-4.5  S'ST 


FIGURE    Vin— VARIATION    IN    SERVICE    STANDARDS    ON    IMPORTANT 
THROATS    DURING    RUSH    HOUR. 

This  diagratn  records  the  average  service  by  fifteen-minute  periods  expressed 
in  per  cent  of  passenger  load  to  seats  furnished — i.  e.,  all  above  100%  represents 
standing.  This  record  covers  every  line  operating  out  of  the  business  district, 
and  represents  the  average  condition  on  about  600  cars  operating  therein  during^ 
the  rush  hour. 


Rincon  Publishing  Company 


28  Montgomery   Street,   San  Francisco 


^-i'^ty- .  ~ ,    -■>■. 


REPORT 


ON 


al  and  Franchise  Matters 

Charter  Amendments 


TO  THE 


BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 

City  of  San  Francisco 


BY 


BION     J.     ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  13 — Part  I. 


Submitted  Nov.  5,  1912. 


REPORT 


ON 


Legal  and  Franchise  Matters 

Charter  Amendments 


TO  THE 


BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 
City  of  San  Francisco 


BY 

BION     J.     ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  13 — Part  I. 


Submitted  Nov.  5,  1912. 


Rincon  Publishing  Company 


28   Montgomery   Street,    San  B^ancisoo 


LEGAL  AND  FRANCHISE  MATTERS 

PRELIMINARY   REPORT    NO.    13— PART    I. 

CHARTER   AMENDMENTS. 

Board  of  Supervisors, 

City  of  San  Francisco. 
Gentlemen : 

In  my  Preliminary  Report  No.  9,  dealing  with  Present  Trans- 
portation Conditions  existing  in  your  City,  I  reviewed  very  briefly 
some  of  the  essential  matters  relating  to  franchises  and  regula- 
tions that  must  he  given  serious  attention  before  it  will  be  pos- 
sible to  reach  any  satisfactory  permanent  settlement  of  the  vari- 
ous questions  involved  in  transportation  service  of  San  Francisco. 
This  general  review  emphasized  the  status  of  the  railway  cor- 
poration with  regard  to  its  franchises,  the  effect  of  the  present 
city  Charter  provisions  on  continued  investment  of  private  cap- 
ital, and  the  possibility  of  a  contract-franchise  plan  involving 
municipal  regulation  and  profit-sharing  by  which  the  perplexing 
problems  of  the  past  and  future  might  be  merged  into  that  of 
the  present  solution. 

In  this  report,  No.  13 — Part  1,  the  matters  presented  to  your 
Board  for  consideration  are  the  Charter  am,endments  to  be  sub- 
mitted to  referendum  vote  on  December  10th,  1912. 

Conditions  to  be  Met. —  There  are  two  distinctly  different 
situations  which  call  for  solution  in  the  present  Charter  revision. 

1st.  The  outlining  of  future  conditions  pertaining  only  to 
new  francliises  granted  subsequent  to  the  passing  of  the  amend- 
ments either  as 

(a)  Trunk  line  franchises,  or 

(b)  Extension  franchises. 

2d.  The  establishment  of  present  conditions  which  will  make 
possible  effective  operation  under  existing  franchises  and  at  the 
same  time  secure  the  necessary  expansion  of  the  present  system 
by  private  capital  until  snch  time  as  the  City  is  able  and  desires 
to  take  over  the  entire  properties  as  a  municipal  project. 

It  is  evident  from  a  study  of  the  proposed  Charter  revision 
amendments  that  no  provision  has  been  made  for  this  latter  and 
most  important  condition,  for,  if  the  proposed  amendments  were 
passed,  any  contract-franchise  plan  that  might  be  developed  and 
that  did  not  conform  to  the  provisions  of  the  new  amendment, 
however  just  and  feasible  the  plan  might  be  for  the  present  sit- 


4  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

uation,  would  be  illegal  and  impossible  to  carry  out  until  further 
enabling  amendments  were  adopted.  It  therefore  seems  to  me 
desirable,  if  these  amendments  are  to  be  adopted  now,  that  an 
additional  section  be  ijicorporated  in  the  revised  Charter,  deal- 
ing specifically  with  a  possible  contract-franchise  settlement  of 
existing  questions,  or  else  that  definite  provision  be  made  by  means 
of  some  form  of  exemption  clause  whereby  such  a  settlement  plan 
may  be  evolved  at  any  time  and  put  into  effect  independent  of  the 
Charter  provisions  dealing  with  new  franchises. 

Supplementing  this  statement  of  my  conclusions  and  recom- 
mendations, there  will  follow  in  Part  II  of  this  report  a  detailed 
analysis  of  the  essential  elements  of  a  practicable  franchise  set- 
tlement plan  for  present  and  future  traction  difficulties;  and 
therein  are  involved  the  purchasing  power  of  the  City,  the  earn- 
ing power  of  present  franchises,  the  legal  questions  regarding 
their  validity,  the  respective  rights  and  view-points  of  the  City, 
the  Corporation,  and  of  Labor. 

SUMMARY  OF   CONCLUSIONS   FROM  PRESENT 
CONDITIONS. 

Taking  into  consideration  the  available  facts  discussed  herein 
and  drawing  upon  the  experience  of  other  cities  in  their  effort 
to  find  a  practicable  solution  of  their  transportation  difficulties, 
I  interpret  the  present  traction  situation  in  San  Francisco,  as 
follows : 

1st.  The  City  of  San  Francisco  has  created,  through  the  high 
riding  habits  of  its'  citizens,  an  exceedingly  profitable  traction 
field  from  which  it  should  be  possible  with  reasonable  capital  in- 
vestment to  derive,  within  the  limitations  of  a  5c  fare,  a  high 
standard  of  service,  as  eon;i|)ared  with  other  cities.  This  condition 
of  service  does  not  take  into  consideration  the  results  of  such 
catastrophies  as  have  occurred  within  recent  years  to  curtail  the 
possibilities  of  the  system. 

2d.  The  powers  of  regulation  over  public  utilities  vested  in 
the  municipalities  of  California  are  exceedingly  broad  as  com- 
pared w^ith  those  of  the  older  cities  of  the  East,  and  comprehend- 
ing supervisory  power  over  rates,  service,  equipment  and  cap- 
italization, the  reasonable  exercise  of  these  powers  should  place 
the  City  in  a  most  fortunate  position  with  respect  to  utility  prop- 
erties organized  after  these  powers  had  been  confirmed.  But  be- 
fore these  powers  were  established,  conditions  were  less  fortunate 
from  the  City's  standpoint,  as  a  result  of  rights  granted. 

3rd.  The  railway  corporation  is  in  unquestionable  possession 
of  the  best-paying  city  streets  for  a  long  term  of  years,  during 
which  time  it  will  be  able  to  earn  out  of  the  property  nearly 
three  times  its  present  liberal  capitalization,  provided  of  course 


LEGAL  AND  FRANCHISE  MATTERS  5 

that  in  the  meantime  it  renders  adequate  service  over  its  lines 
now  established. 

4th.  Being  in  possession  of  the  short-haul  and  most  profit- 
able lines,  it  will  be  in  a  better  and  better  position  as  time  goes 
on  to  earn  large  returns,  for  the  reason  that  the  City  has  no 
power  to  compel  extensions;  consequently,  the  poor-paying  exten- 
sions will  either  have  to  be  borne  by  the  municipal  system,  or 
else  the  development  of  the  city  grossly  retarded. 

5th.  It  is  a  fact  that,  even  if  the  franchises  of  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  city  expired  at  a  given  time,  the  pressure  of  public 
necessity  would  absolutely  require  the  corporation  to  continue 
service  over  the  unexpired  lines  until  such  time  as  the  City  was 
in  a  position  to  operate  them  under  a  satisfactory  system  of  rout- 
ing, so  that  the  earning  power  of  the  remaining  fragments  of  the 
system  would  continue  for  some  time. 

Since  there  is  nothing  in  the  present  franchises  requiring  the 
maintenance  of  the  system  at  a  higher  standard  than  that  neces- 
sary to  give  actual  operation,  it  is  quite  probable  that  a  general 
rehabilitation  of  the  system  would  be  necessarj^  requiring  per- 
haps two  years,  before  the  City,  even  though  it  had  possession, 
would  be  in  position  to  operate  the  new  system  efficiently. 

6th.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  City  has  embarked  upon  a 
fixed  policy  of  mimicipal  ownership  and  possibly  competition, 
the  Corporation  does  not  feel  justified  in  making  any  extensions, 
and  in  fact  cannot  obtain  funds  therefor  from  private  investors 
at  reasonable  prices.  The  City  therefore  must  face  a  situation 
where  the  Corporation  will  continue  to  reap  heavier  and  heavier 
profits  from  its  short-haul  lines,  without  making  the  necessary 
extensions.  The  effect  which  this  policy  has  had  upon  the  devel- 
opment of  the  city  is  already  only  too  apparent  and  it  is  perti- 
nent to  reflect  what  the  condition  would  be  seventeen  years  hence, 
if  this  policy  were  to  be  continued. 

7th.  At  the  present  time,  the  purchasing  power  of  the  City 
approximates  only  $50,000,000  for  all  utility  purposes,  and  if 
water  bonds  are  excluded  from  the  debt  limit,  this  purchasing 
power  could  be  exercised  for  the  acquisition  of  street  railway 
property.  These  funds  while  more  than  sufficient  to  acquire  the 
actual  physical  property  would  probably  fall  short  of  what  the 
present  railway  companies  would  consider  reasonable,  including 
franchise  values  under  the  contractual  relations  embodied  in  the 
present  franchises.  ^Moreover,  it  will  be  shown  that  the  purchasing 
power  of  the  City  is  increasing  at  only  about  one-fourth  the  rate 
of  the  necessary  investment  in  street  railway  property,  so  that  its 
ability  to  purchase  will  become  more  and  more  inadequate  as  time 
goes  on,  unless  a  progressive  increase  in  bonding  limit  be  secured, 
either  under  or  outside  of  the  present  basis  of  determining  mu- 
nicipal debt. 


6  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

8th.  Financial  credit  is  in  most  cases  a  function  of  stability 
of  property  and  efficiency  of  management.  Therefore,  the  ques- 
tion whether  the  City  can  underwrite  its  utilities  at  a  lower  rate 
of  interest  than  private  capital  will  accept  depends  upon  these 
two  considerations.  And  the  City  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  effect 
that  a  wholesale  expansion  of  its  municipal  undertakings  would 
have  upon  its  credit,  and  especially  with  reference  to  the  securi- 
ties previously  issued. 

9th.  The  Corporation,  on  the  other  hand,  is  beginning  to  ex- 
perience, for  the  first  time  in  its  history,  the  pressure  of  regula- 
tion and  supervision,  both  from  the  Municipality  and  the  State, 
and  owing  to  a  loss  in  earnings  of  approximately  $5,000,000  from 
the  Fire  and  Strike,  it  finds  itself  in  a  financial  position  not  con- 
templated at  the  time  of  its  organization.  Not  having  elected  to 
provide  for  such  a  contingency,  it  is  difficult  for  it  to  absorb  these 
losses  under  the  heavy  burden  of  fixed  charges  and  the  pressure  for 
dividends. 

10th.  The  present  condition  of  the  property,  in  spite  of  the 
heavy  renewals  and  betterments  that  have  already  taken  place 
since  the  Fire,  is  such  as  to  require  a  continued  program  of  re- 
habilitation, necessarily  involving  heavy  expenditures,  only  a 
portion  of  which  may  be  capitalized  as  betterments  and  additions. 
The  nature  of  these  renewals  is  such  that  to  capitalize  them  in  toto 
would  be  a  duplication  of  capital  unwarranted  in  modern  sys- 
tems of  accounting.  The  Corporation,  therefore,  must  find  itself 
confronted  with  the  necessity  of  retiring  this  extinguished  value 
out  of  earnings,  which  will  necessarily  cut  deeply  into  the  con- 
templated return. 

11th.  The  attitude  of  Labor,  while  at  present  passive,  may 
become  serious  from  time  to  time  in  the  future  as  it  has  in  the 
past,  although  not  now  apparently  imminent,  as  railway  wages 
ii^  San  Francisco  are  somewhat  higher  than  in  other  parts  of  the 
country,  being  exceeded  in  but  one  instance  by  a  Coast  city.  How- 
ever, the  determination  of  a  proper  wage  scale  is  an  ever-recurring 
problem  and  with  the  present  tendency  toward  increasing  prices, 
it  seems  but  a  question  of  time  when  the  wage  question,  in  addi- 
tion to  those  of  financing,  franchises,  and  regulation,  will  com- 
bine to  render  increasingly  difficult  the  operation  of  the  Corporation 
upon  its  present  basis  of  capitalization. 

12th.  The  Charter  wage  scale  now  in  force,  as  applicable  to 
private  corporations,  will  be  shown  later  to  be  a  practical  impos- 
sibility with  a  5c  fare  under  any  normal  conception  of  adequate 
service  or  reasonable  operating  ratio.  In  street  railway  opera- 
tion more  than  in  any  other  public  utility,  the  time  limit  for 
working  hours  and  the  high  minimum  wage  imposed  by  the  Char- 
ter, work  exactly  opposite  to  the  provision  of  adequate  rush  hour 
service.     The  adoption  of  this  wage  scale  would  prevent  the  Cor- 


LEGAL  AND  FRANCHISE  MATTERS  7 

poration  from  earning  a  reasonable  return  upon  its  present  bonded 
debt,  to  say  nothing  of  attempting  to  earn  a  return  upon  its 
present  capitalization.  Even  if  a  reasonable  return  upon  the 
value  of  the  physical  property  only  were  under  consideration, 
the  operating  ratio  under  this  Charter  wage  scale  would  be  higher 
than  justifiable  under  a  5c  fare,  if  adequate  service  is  demanded 
from  the  Company. 

The  wage  question  should  be  settled  from  time  to  time  as 
new  conditions  arise,  with  due  consideration  for  the  financial  and 
industrial  conditions  of  the  community,  and  it  therefore  is,  in  my 
judgment,  an  economic  error  to  legislate  wages  into  a  Charter. 

18th.  An  analysis  of  the  possibilities  of  the  retirement  of  in- 
vested capital  during  various  periods  of  maturity  and  at  various 
rates  of  interest  shows  that  it  is  practically  impossible  to  retire 
out  of  earnings  street  railway  investments  within  so  short  a  period 
as  25  years — the  limit  of  franchise  term  under  the  present  Char- 
ter— and  earn  a  fair  return  upon  such  investment.  This  arises 
from  the  fact  that  the  iaecessary  investment  in  property  is  three 
or  four  times  the  annual  earnings,  so  that  the  annuity  rate  for 
a  term  of  25  years  may  be  tis  high  as  11%  of  the  gross  earnings, 
which  represents  a  much  larger  proportion  of  the  gross  earnings 
than  can  possibly  be  appropriated  for  the  retirement  of  the  in- 
vestment under  a  5c  fare.  Consequently,  the  proposed  Charter 
should  be  changed  so  as  to  either  materially  lengthen  the  fran- 
chise term,  provide  for  an  indeterminate  franchise,  or  make  pro- 
vision for  protecting  the  investment  in  the  property  after  the  ex- 
piration of  a  determinate  franchise  until  such  investment  can  be 
amortized  out  of  the  earnings  at  a  reasonable  annual  rate.  This 
can  be  effectively  accomplished  by  the  issuance  of  long-term  bonds 
by  the  Corporation  with  the  City's  consent,  and  with  definite  pro- 
vision for  the  a.ssumption  of  this  imderlying  debt  by  the  City  at 
the  end  of  the  franchise  term. 

14.  In  perfecting  a  franchise  plan  for  the  present  as  well  as 
the  future,  it  is  most  important  to  appreciate  the  seriousness  of 
and  to  provide  for  the  amortization  or  decapitalization  of  that 
part  of  the  original  and  subsequent  investment,  which  is  not  now 
represented  by  actual  tangible  property,  but  which  expenditure 
nevertheless  was  incurred  in  order  to  create  the  properties  as 
they  at  present  exist ;  also  the  additional  capital  liability  with 
which  the  properties  were  burdened  over  and  above  the  necessary 
expenditures  just  mentioned. 

Obviously,  there  are  only  two  plans  upon  which  a  property 
may  be  organized : 

First,  when  it  is  operated  to  extinction  at  the  end  of  an  ex- 
isting franchise  term; 

Second,  when  it  is  operated  as  a  continuing  property  in  an- 
ticipation of  renewed  grant,  or  sale  to  the  City. 


8  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

If  operated  to  extinction,  it  is  evidently  incumbent  upon  the 
Company  to  retire  all  of  its  capital  liability,  both  tangible  and 
intangible,  but  if  the  property  is  to  be  continued  as  will  unques- 
tionably be  the  case,  it  is  economically  unnecessary  to  burden  the 
community  with  the  necessity  of  creating  a  property  free  of  debt 
within  the  short  life  of  ordinary  franchises.  Therefore,  the  first 
duty  of  the  Corporation  should  be  to  decrease  its  capital  account 
by  amortizing  out  of  earnings  all  of  this  so-called  intangible  value. 
Summarizing,  it  is  my  desire  to  convey  from  the  above  the 
firm  conviction  now  in  my  mind,  reached  only  after  detailed  con- 
sideration of  these  various  questions,  that  the  present  problem  is 
by  no  means  one-sided;  that  the  three  factors  in  the  problem — 
City,  Corporation,  and  Labor — are  equally  involved ;  and  that  any 
settlement  of  these  difficulties  that  is  destined  to  achieve  permanent 
and  satisfactory  results  must  be  in  the  nature  of  an  attempt  to 
secure  definite,  practicable,  working  results,  rather  than  to  strive 
for  the  perpetuation  of  individual  rights,  all  of  which  are  more 
or  less  questionable.     The  great  objects  are : 

I.  Adequate  service; 

II.  The  protection  of  actual  investment,  whether  municipal 
or  corporate ;  and 

III.  The  highest  rate  of  wages  consistent  with  the  limitations 
of  a  5c  fare,  and  the  proper  maintenance  and  renewal  of 
the  property. 

Supplementary  to  these  are: 

(a)  The  method  of  regulating  the  utility. 

(b)  The  method  of  decapitalizing  obsolete  investment  and 
intangible  values. 

(c)  The  determining  of  the  question  of  whether  the  in- 
vestment shall  be  a  continuing  one  or  be  decapitalized 
to  extinction ;  and  if  the  latter,  the  fixing  of  the  period 
long  enough  to  make  it  practicable  under  a  5c  fare. 

The  proper  vehicle  for  the  accomplishment  of  these  objects  is 
the  modification  of  the  present  Charter  by  suitable  enabling 
amendments  which  will  empower  the  Board  of  Supervisors  to 
work  out  and  submit  to  a  referendum  vote  suitable  adjustment 
franchises  which  will  eliminate  present  contractual  relationships 
and  place  the  City  in  position  to  substitute  others  therefor  which 
will  secure  the  three  objects  above  enumerated. 

In  Part  II  of  this  report,  to  be  presented  later,  I  shall  discuss 
in  detail  the  essential  matters,  giving  in  full  my  reasons  for  the 
conclusions  herein  presented,  as  I  am  assuming  that,  for  immed- 
iate purposes,  the  details  of  such  an  adjustment  franchise  or  set- 
tlement as  has  been  referred  to  herein  may  be  reserved  until  the 
above-mentioned  enabling  acts  have  made  such  a  plan  possible. 
Supplemental  to  this  report  I  have  prepared  an  analysis  of  and 
suggested  changes  in  the  proposed  amendments  to  the  present  Char- 


LEGAL  AND  FRANCHISE  MATTERS  9 

ter,  which  have  been  drafted  by  the  Charter  Advisory  Committee 
appointed  by  your  Mayor,  with  a  view  to  the  perfection  of  these 
amendments  from  the  standpoint  of  the  street  railway  problem, 
in  order  that  the  amendments  when  passed  may  be  broad  enough 
to  enable  the  above  program  to  be  carried  out  should  it  later  be 
deemed  advisable  by  you  to  do  so. 

Respectfully  submitted, 


Consulting  Engineer. 


Prepared  November  4,  1912. 


APPENDIX 
PRELIMINARY  REPORT  NO.  1 3 -Part  I 


APPENDIX  TO  PART  I. 

Preliminary  Report  No.  13  to  Board  of  Supervisors  City  and 
County   of   San   Francisco.* 

I.     Resume  of  Provisions  in  Present  Charter,  Relating  to  Pub- 
lic Utilities. 

II.     Brief  Discussion  of  Proposed  Amendments  to  the  Present 
Charter,  Relating  to  Public  Utilities. 

III.  Letter  Transmitting  Proposed  Charter  Amendments  as  Fi- 

nally Recommended  by  the  Special  Committee  Appointed 
by  the  Board  of  Supervisors. 

IV.  SjTiopsis  by  Delos  F.  Wilcox  of  Charter  Amendments  Drafted 

by  the  Special  Committee. 

V.     Full    Text    of    Proposed    Charter    Amendment    No.    34    as 
Adopted  by  Board  of  Supervisors  November  7th,  1912. 


In  the  complete  amendments  as  finally  passed,  the  above  Char- 
ter amendments  are  supplemented  by  the  following: 

Article  XII,  Chapter  I,  "Acquisition  of  Public  Utilities",  being 
Sections  1  to  16,  inclusive,  of  Article  XII  of  the  present  Charter. 

Article  XII,  Chapter  II,  Sections  1  and  2,  inclusive,  "Construc- 
tion of  Public  Utilities." 

Article  XII,  Chapter  III,  Sections  1  to  5,  inclusive,  relating 
to  the  "Department  of  Public  Service"  and  creating  a  Public 
Service  Commission  for  the  City  and  County  of  San  Francisco. 

These   supplementary   amendments,    Chapters   II   and   III,    as' 
finally  passed  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  contain  most  of  the 
important  revisions  that,  to  me,  seemed  necessary  from  a  study  of 
the  amendments  as  originally  drafted. 


*Upon  the  submission  of  the  preceding  report,  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors decided,  after  discussion,  to  proceed  upon  the  theory  of  submitting  to 
the  electors  a  broad  enabling  act  instead  of  a  detailed  franchise  code,  and  ap- 
iwinted  to  draft  such  an  act  a  special  committee  consisting  of  Delos  F.  Wilcox, 
Chief  of  the  Franchise  Bureau,  Public  Service  Commission,  New  York  City; 
E.  A.  Walcott,  President  of  the  Civil  Service  Commission,  City  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  Bion  J.  LA.rnold.  This  committee  reported  November  7th,  and  the 
amendments,  after  thorough  discussion  by  the  Supervisors  and  others,  were, 
with  slight  modifications,  unani'mously  adopted  on  the  same  date. 


LEGAL  AND  FRANCHISE  MATTERS  13 


I— RESUME   OF    PRESENT   CHARTER    PROVISIONS. 

The  Present  Charter,  which  went  into  effect  in  1907,  in 
its  general  terms  was  designed  to  empower  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors with  broad  regulative  powers  and  control  over  public 
utilities  operating  within  the  City  and  County  of  San  Francisco. 
Apparently,  none  of  these  powers.,  as  outlined  therein,  are  retro- 
active— that  is,  they  do  not  apply  to  franchises  granted  prior  to 
1907  unless  specific  provisions  in  the  franchises  anticipated  such 
future  revision  as  actually  took  place. 

The  Board  of  Supervisors  has  power  to  determine  rates  and 
prescribe  service,  wages  and  hours  of  labor,  and  to  examine  books 
and  records,  or  cause  to  be  made  through  arbitration  proceedings 
valuations  of  property  which  the  City  desires  to  purchase.  The 
Charter  declares  for  municipal  ownership  of  utilities  with  power 
to  take  over  traction  properties  at  a  fair  value,  including  bonus, 
but  excluding  franchise  value.  The  franchise  term  is  limited  to 
25  years  and  awarded  to  the  highest  bidder  upon  the  basis  of 
percentage  of  gross  receipts.  Conditions  surrounding  construction 
and  operation  of  utilities  are  specified,  failure  to  comply  with 
them  working  immediate  forfeiture  of  the  franchises,  which  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  has  no  power  to  relieve.  Roadbed  and  fix- 
tures become  the  property  of  the  City  at  the  expiration  of  the 
franchise  term. 

A  minimum  wage  scale  of  $3.00  for  an  eight-hour  day  to  be 
completed  within  ten  hours,  with  a  one  and  one-half  time  rate  for 
over-time,  is  specified  to  apply  to  all  new  franchises  granted  to 
privately  owned  street  railway  companies,  but  the  same  conditions 
are  not  specified  for  those  employed  in  municipal  enterprises.  The 
Charter,  instead  of  making  this  condition  imperative  upon  the 
City,  exempts  it  from  the  time  limit  of  ten  hours  in  which  the 
eight-hour  service  must  be  performed,  and  also  the  compulsory 
payment  of  a  one  and  one-half  time  rate  for  over-time.* 


♦This  discrimination  falls  particularly  heavy  upon  a  street  railway  company, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  its  two  periods  of  daily  maximum  or  rush  hour  service 
(each  two  or  three  hours  long)  come  so  far  apart  that  'men  employed  for  one  of 
these  periods  cannot  be  employed  for  the  other  period  without  the  payment  of 
overtime;  otherwise  the  employment  of  additional  men  is  necessary,  thus  result- 
ing in  the  payment  of  a  proportionately  large  amount  of  wages  for  which  no 
service  has  been  rendered.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  street  railway 
employees,  owing  to  these  unavoidable  conditions  of  the  business  in  which  they 
are  engaged,  should  be  willing  to  extend  the  total  period  during  which  their 
services  are  rendered,  provided  they  are  paid  a  suitable  wage  per  hour  with  a 
reasonable  minimum  wage,  especially  since  the  total  time  of  actual  service  is 
reasonably  short,  and  since  they  are  free  to  attend  to  their  own  affairs  during 
the  interval  between  rush  hour  periods.  As  such  short  runs  are  usually  and 
properly  assigned  to  students  or  apprentices  in  the  business,  and  the  full-ti-iie, 
regular  runs  are  reserved  for  the  more  experienced  men,  a  reasonable  disposition 
of  the  wage  question  along  these  lines  should  be  accomplished,  and  by  this  means 
secure  adequate  service  under  a  5-cent  fare. 


14  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

Having  declared  for  ultimate  municipal  ownership,  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  is  empowered  to  buy  or  construct  utilities  when 
public  necessity  demands ;  but  the  City 's  bonded  debt  is  limited  to 
15%  of  the  assessed  realty  value  with  a  maximum  limit  of  75  years' 
life  of  bond  issues,  redemption  to  be  commenced  within  18  years. 


II— DISCUSSION  OF  PROPOSED  CHARTER  AMEND- 
MENTS. 

In  order  to  facilitate  the  fullest  understanding  of  the  principles 
and  purposes  underlying  the  construction  of  this  proposed  Charter 
Amendment  No.  34,  the  following  discussion  of  the  underlying 
principles  is  appended.  Briefly  expressed,  the  purposes  of  the 
amendment  are: 

1st.  To  provide  in  the  Charter  a  "blanket"  enabling  act,  out- 
lining the  general  terms  under  which  detailed  municipal  ordi- 
nances may  later  be  prepared  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  sub- 
ject to  the  referendum  vote. 

2d.  To  establish  the  foundation  for  a  comprehensive  franchise 
or  administrative  code,  defining  in  specific  terms  the  conditions 
and  limitations  under  which  all  new  franchises  may  be  granted  by 
the  City  to  private  operators. 

3d.  To  empower  the  Board  of  Supervisors  to  carry  out  a  com- 
prehensive resettlement  or  adjustment  franchise  policy  by  means 
of  which  existing  grants  to  private  operators  may  bp  merged  into 
those  of  new  or  adjusted  grants  containing  specific  conditions  cal- 
culated to  remove  the  present  obstacles  to  adequate  service  and 
continued  expansion. 

It  has  been  deemed  essential  in  the  preparation  of  these  amend- 
ments that  detailed  matters  relating  to  the  granting  of  franchises 
be  incorporated  in  such  a  comprehensive  franchise  code,  rather 
than  in  the  City  Charter;  that,  on  the  other  hand,  a  City  Charter 
should  constitute  a  simple  declaration  of  principles  only,  by  rea- 
son of  the  wide  variation  in  the  conditions  surrounding  the  grant- 
ing of  franchises  to  different  utilities  which  will  necessarily  change 
from  time  to  time.  The  Charter  amendments  are  designed  to  cover 
all  manner  of  utilities  which,  in  the  expressed  determination  of  the 
City,  fall  M'ithin  the  scope  of  its  operations.  The  Franchise  Code, 
on  the  other  hand,  should  cover  separately,  each  of  the  various 
utilities  to  be  encountered  where  variations  from  the  general  prin- 
ciples therein  expressed  need  to  be  specified. 

In  order  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  franchises  hereafter  to 
be  granted  under  ordinances  passed  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  the  Charter  amendments,  there 


LEGAL  AND  FRANCHISE  MATTERS  15 

is  created  in  other  Charter  amendments  to  Article  XII, 
Chapters  II  and  III,  a  Public  Service  Commission  for 
the  City  and  County  of  San  Francisco,  consisting  of  three 
members  appointed  by  the  Mayor,  each  for  a  term  of  six 
years,  except  those  first  appointed,  whose  terms  end  July  1,  1915, 
July  1,  1917,  July  1,  1919,  respectively.  This  Commission  is  to 
have  charge  of  the  construction,  extension  and  operation  of  all 
municipally  o\Mied  and  operated  public  utilities,  t^'^  harbor  and 
water-front  and  all  worlds  located  thereon  for  the  use  of  com- 
merce. This  Commission  will  also  exercise  control  over  such 
other  public  utilities  as  the  Board  of  Supervisors  may  from  time 
to  time  prescribe,  but  which  are  not  covered  by  this  Charter.  It 
is  also  authorized  to  enter  into  contracts  for  construction  or  for 
materials  necessary  for  the  construction  or  operation  of  such  util- 
ities, as  well  as  to  exercise  all  other  powers  over  public  utilities 
elsewhere  conferred  by  the  present  Charter  on  the  Board  of  Pub- 
lic Works. 


Ill— LETTER  TRANSMITTING  CHARTER  AMENDMENT 

NO.  34,  AS  RECOMMENDED  BY  SPECIAL 

COMMITTEE. 

To  the  Honorable, 

The  Board  of  Supervisors  of  the 

City  and  County  of  San  Francisco. 
Gentlemen : 

In  accordance  with  your  instructions,  we  have  prepared  a 
draft  of  Charter  Amendment  No.  34,  relative  to  the  granting  of 
franchises  upon  which  we  have  been  able  substantially  to  agree. 
Such  amendment  is  submitted  herewith  with  our  recommendation 
that  it  be  adopted  for  submission  to  the  people  at  the  Special 
Election  on  December  10th,  1912.  In  this  amendment  we  have  at- 
tempted to  cover  in  general  terms  the  entire  subject  of  the  grant- 
ing of  franchises  leaving  to  a  general  ordinance  to  be  enacted 
later  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  and  ratified  by  the  people  the 
more  detailed  procedure  which  may  be  regarded  as  essential  to 
protect  the  City's  interests  in  the  granting  of  franchises  in  the 
future.  The  amendment  presented  contains,  we  believe,  all  or 
practically  all  the  essential  features  of  a  general  franchise  policy, 
in  accordance  with  which  the  City  should  be  able  to  work  out  satis- 
factory practical  results. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

(Signed)   DELOS   F.   WILCOX 
(Signed)  E.  A.  WALCOTT 
(Signed)   BION   J.  ARNOLD. 
Submitted  November  7th,  1912. 


16  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 


IV— SYNOPSIS,  BY   DELOS   F.  WILCOX,  OF    CHARTER 

AMENDMENTS  RELATING  TO  PUBLIC  UTILITY 

FRANCHISES  DRAFTED  BY  THE  SPECIAL 

COMMITTEE  APPOINTED  BY  THE 

BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS. 

The  Board  of  Supervisors  has  no  authority  to  grant  franchises 
for  any  public  utility  except  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of 
the  Charter. 

The  outstanding  street  railroad  franchises  make  no  provision 
for  extensions  into  outlying  territory. 

The  outstanding  gas,  electric  and  water  franchises,  acquired 
under  the  Constitution  of  1879,  cover  only  such  streets  and  parts 
of  streets  as  were  actually  occupied  with  mains  prior  to  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Constitutional  Amendments  on  October  10th,  1911. 

Consequently,  no  extensions  of  street  railroads,  gas  or  water 
pipes,  or  electric  lines  can  be  made  under  existing  franchises,  even 
if  the  companies  are  willing  to  make  them.  In  every  case,  new 
franchises  are  required. 

The  provisions  of  the  existing  Charter  relative  to  the  grant  of 
franchises  have  proved  to  be  impractical,  as  they  tend  to  penalize 
the  companies  for  doing  what  the  City  wants  them  to  do,  namely, 
extend  their  lines.  For  a  company  to  accept  a  franchise  for  an 
extension,  under  the  present  Charter,  the  extension  would  have  to 
be  unusually  profitable  taken  by  itself,  while  in  most  cases  where 
the  extensions  would  have  to  be  carried  by  the  profits  earned  on 
the  main  lines  or  in  the  areas  of  dense  service,  there  is  nothing 
whatever  to  induce  the  companies  to  build  and  the  City  has  no 
power  under  existing  franchises  to  make  them  build. 

This  situation  has  long  been  critical  in  regard  to  street  rail- 
ways, and,  under  the  recent  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  in 
the  Russell  case,  will  soon  become  equally  critical  as  to  water,  gas 
and  electric  service. 

These  conditions  made  necessary  the  proposed  amendment  to 
the  Charter  relative  to  franchises.  If  this  amendment  is  de- 
feated there  will  not  be  another  opportunity  to  amend  the  pres- 
ent Charter  until  two  years  hence. 

The  proposed  franchise  amendment  is  based  upon  the  City's 
declared  policy  of  ultimate  municipal  ownership.  Not  only  do  all 
franchises  require  a  three-fourths  vote  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors, but  in  case  they  are  vetoed  by  the  Mayor,  they  can  be  re- 
passed only  by  a  five-sixths  vote.  Moreover,  the  Mayor  can,  if  he 
wishes,  insist  upon  a  referendum,  and  every  grant  of  a  new  fran- 
chise to  renew  or  replace  an  existing  one  must  be  submitted  to  the 
people.     Entirely  new  grants  and  grants  for  extensions  are  sub- 


LEGAL  AND  FRANCHISE  MATTERS  17 

ject  to  the  sixty-day  optional  referendum  procedure  for  due  pub- 
licity, and  time  for  deliberate  consideration  is  carefully  provided 
for.  The  right  of  the  City  to  take  over  the  franchise  and  prop- 
erty at  any  time  is  expressly  stipulated,  and  in  order  that  this 
power  of  purchase  may  be  something  more  than  mere  power  on 
paper,  it  is  required  that  provision  shall  be  made  in  the  franchise 
itself  for  the  accumulation  of  a  purchase  fund  out  of  earnings, 
so  that  the  property  will  actually  be  paying  for  itself,  and  the 
City  will  be  getting  into  a  better  position  in  regard  to  it  every 
year. 

On  the  other  hand,  under  the  proposed  franchise  plan,  the 
actual  investment  of  capital  in  any  utility'  enterprise  would  be 
amply  protected  and  would  be  allowed  to  earn  a  fair  return  and 
be  sure  of  not  losing  out  in  the  end.  The  requirement  in  the  pres- 
ent Charter  that  a  fixed  percentage  of  gross  receipts  mentioned 
in  the  Charter  itself  must  be  paid  whether  the  utility  or  the  ex- 
tension is  able  to  pay  even  operating  expenses  or  not  has  been 
cut  out. 

The  existing  provision  that  the  property  in  the  streets  shall 
revert  to  the  City  without  payment  at  the  expiration  of  twenty- 
five  years  and  forbidding  a  re-grant  beyond  that  time  is  also  elim- 
inated, and  in  place  of  it  is  put  a  more  elastic  provision  to  the 
effect  that  part  or  all  of  the  capital  must  be  retired  within  the 
twenty-five  year  maximum  period  for  original  grants,  but  that 
if  the  capital  has  not  all  been  retired  within  that  time  and  if  the 
City  does  not  choose  to  buy  the  property,  the  holder  of  the  fran- 
chise shall  be  entitled  to  fifteen  years  more  to  get  his  money  out. 

The  existing  minimum  wage  provision  as  applied  to  franchises 
is  eliminated  from  the  Charter  for  the  reason  that  it  seems  better 
to  leave  the  whole  matter  of  wages  to  be  negotiated  in  connection 
with  each  particular  franchise  or  between  the  employees  and  the 
o-wners  of  the  utility. 

It  makes  the  Charter  conditions  less  forbidding  to  capital,  and 
does  not  prevent  the  establishment  of  a  minimum  wage  in  the 
franchise  itself  if  it  can  be  agreed  upon  at  the  time.  The  eight- 
hour  day  is  kept,  but  the  provision  is  liberalized  with  reference  to 
street  railwaj^s  so  as  to  make  the  eight-hour  day  actually  work- 
able under  the  conditions  of  that  business,  which  requires  the 
employment  of  a  great  many  extra  men  for  the  rush  hours,  morn- 
ning  and  night,  if  the  people  are  to  have  reasonable  service.  As 
stipulated  in  the  proposed  amendment,  the  eight  hours'  work  of 
the  operating  force  of  a  street  railway  must  be  completed  within 
thirteen  hours,  while  in  all  other  utilities  the  eight  hours'  work 
must  be  completed  within  ten  hours.  This  change  removes  a  bar- 
rier that  now  practically  prohibits  the  enlistment  of  capital  in 
street  railway  building. 

The  existing  prohibition  of  all  exclusive  franchises  for  pipes, 


18  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

wires  or  conduits,  which  was  based  on  the  constitutional  provision 
in  force  prior  to  1911,  has  been  liberalized  so  that  exclusive  fran- 
chises may  be  granted  which  would  tend  to  induce  private  capi- 
tal to  enter  outlying  fields.  But  the  interests  of  the  City  are  safe- 
guarded by  requiring  that  any  such  franchise  must  be  subject  to 
purchase  and  must  provide  for  extensions  of  the  plant  as  the  pub- 
lic needs  require. 

Moreover,  under  the  amendment,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  does 
not  need  to  wait  for  anybody  to  apply  for  a  franchise  for  an  ex- 
tension or  for  a  new  utility,  but  may  on  its  own  motion  declare 
the  necessity  for  the  construction  of  such  extension  or  new  utility. 
and  advertise  for  bids.  The  City  may  advertise  in  all  the  financial 
centers  of  the  world,  if  necessary,  calling  attention  to  the  oppor- 
tunity for  investment. 

But,  after  all,  the  most  important  provisions  of  this  amendment 
relate  to  a  possible  resettlement  of  the  franchises  of  existing  utili- 
ties to  the  end  that  in  return  for  the  practical  guarantee  of  their 
fixed  investment  and  the  new  money  put  in  from  time  to  time,  they 
shall  surrender  their  outstanding  franchises  and  come  in  under  a 
new  deal  by  the  terms  of  which  the  City  will  get  the  right  peace- 
ably to  acquire  the  property  by  paying  a  fixed  price  therefor,  and 
the  companies  will  obligate  themselves  in  the  meantime  to  make 
extensions  and  begin  to  retire  their  capital  out  of  earnings. 

As  an  extra  safeguard,  the  City  may  provide  for  the  transfer 
of  the  property  to  a  new  company,  if,  through  persistent  failure 
of  the  old  company  to  co-operate  in  good  faith  in  carrying  out  the 
spirit  of  the  agreement,  it  seems  useless  to  expect  good  results  from 
the  management  then  in  control,  and  if  the  City  is  not  then  in  a 
position  to  take  the  utility  over  for  municipal  operation.  At  the 
same  time,  the  Company  will  be  protected  against  capricious  or 
corrupt  action  on  the  part  of  the  City  authorities  by  the  require- 
ment that  any  new  company  may  be  required  under  the  terms  of 
the  franchise  to  pay  a  bonus  to  the  owner  of  the  property  in  addi- 
tion to  what  the  City  would  have  to  pay  if  the  property  were  being 
taken  over  for  public  ownership. 

>  This  licensee  provision  is  not  made  obligatory,  but  may  be  in- 
serted in  a  resettlement  franchise  if  the  City  desires  to  put  it  in. 
In  fact,  the  amendment  is  in  effect  an  enabling  act  under  which 
the  City  would  be  able  to  open  up  the  whole  franchise  question 
with  the  companies  and  in  accordance  with  certain  general  prin- 
ciples fixed  in  the  amendment,  negotiate  for  a  rational  resettlement 
of  the  big  utility  problems  now  confronting  San  Francisco. 

As  to  grants  of  new  franchises  that  are  not  resettlements  of 
existing  franchises,  they  are  to  be  regulated  more  in  detail  by 
a  general  ordinance  to  be  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
and  ratified  by  the  people  subsequent  to  the  adoption  of  the 
Charter  amendment   and  its  final   enactment  bv  the  Legislature. 


LEGAL  AND  FRANCHISE  MATTERS  19 


v.— FULL  TEXT  OF  CHARTER  AMENDMENT  NO.  34, 

AS  ADOPTED. 

Describing  and  setting  forth  a  proposal  to  the  qualified  electors 
of  the  City  and  County  of  San  Francisco,  State  of  California,  to 
amend  the  Charter  of  said  City  and  County  by  amending  Section 
12  of  Chapter  1  and  Sections  5,  6  and  7  of  Chapter  2  of  Article  2 
thereof  and  by  repealing  Sections  7a,  7b  and  7c  of  Chapter  2  of 
Article  3  thereof,  relating  to  the  granting  of  franchises  for  street 
railways  and  other  public  utilities,  and  providing  for  the  surrender 
and  resettlement  of  franchises  and  rights  now  held  by  persons, 
companies  or  corporations  operating  street  railways  or  other  public 
utilities  within  the  limits  of  said  City  and  County. 

The  Board  of  Supervisors  of  the  City  and  County  of  San  Fran- 
cisco hereby  submits  to  the  qualified  electors  of  said  City  and 
County  at  a  special  election  to  be  held  on  the  tenth  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1912,  a  proposal  to  amend  Article  2  and  Article  3  of  said 
Charter  as  follows  : 

That  Section  12  of  Chapter  I  of  Article  II  be  amended  to  read 
as  follows : 

Section  12. .  When  a  bill  is  put  upon  its  final  passage  in  the 
Board  and  fails  to  pass,  and  a  motion  is  made  to  reconsider,  the 
vote  upon  such  motion  shall  not  be  acted  upon  before  the  expira- 
tion of  twenty-four  hours  after  adjournment.  No  bill  for  the 
grant  of  any  franchise  shall  be  put  upon  its  final  passage  within 
thirty  days  after  its  introduction,  and  no  franchise  shall  be 
renewed  before  one  year  prior  to  its  expiration,  except  as  other- 
wise provided  in  Section  7  of  Chapter  II  of  this  Article.  Every 
ordinance  shall,  after  amendment,  be  laid  over  one  week  before  its 
final  passage. 

That  Section  5  of  Chapter  II  of  Article  II  be  amended  to  read 
as  follows : 

Section  5.  No  exclusive  franchise  or  privilege  for  the  construc- 
tion or  operation  of  any  public  utility  shall  ever  be  granted  unless 
said  franchise  shall  provide  for  the  extension  of  such  utility  as 
public  need  requires  and  for  the  purchase  of  such  franchise  and 
the  property  of  such  utility  at  the  option  of  the  City  and  County 
of  San  Francisco,  as  provided  in  Sections  6  and  7  of  this  Chapter. 

NEW  FRANCHISES. 

That  Section  6  of  Chapter  II  of  Article  II  be  amended  to  read 
as  follows: 

Section  6.  The  Board  of  Supervisors  shall  have  power,  subject 
to  the  referendum  as  elsewhere  provided  in  this  Charter,  and  sub- 
ject to  the  terms  of  a  general  ordinance  hereinafter  provided  for 
and  to  be  passed  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  and  ratified  by  the 


20  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

people,  to  grant  franchises  for  the  construction,  maintenance  and 
operation  of  street  railways,  gas  works,  electric  works,  water  works, 
telephone  systems  and  other  public  utilities  upon,  or  over,  or  under, 
or  across  the  streets  and  public  places  of  the  City  and  County  of 
San  Francisco  upon  the  following  conditions  and  in  the  following 
manner : 

1.  No  franchise  shall  be  granted  for  a  street  railway  upon  any 
street  or  part  of  a  street  reserved  for  a  boulevard,  except  for  the 
purpose  of  crossing  the  same. 

2.  No  franchise  granted  under  the  authority  of  this  section 
shall  run  for  a  period  longer  than  twenty-five  (25)  years,  except 
that  if  at  the  expiration  of  the  original  period  of  the  grant  the 
investment  under  such  franchise  shall  not  have  been  fully  amort- 
ized and  the  City  shall  not  exercise  its  option  to  purchase  the 
property,  the  grantee  shall  be  entitled  to  a  renewal  or  renewals 
not  exceeding  in  the  aggregate  fifteen  (15)  years.  Every  fran- 
chise so  granted  shall  be  subject  to  the  right  of  the  City  and  County 
to  recall  such  franchise  prior  to  the  termination  thereof  or  of  any 
renewal  thereof  upon  purchasing  or  finding  a  purchaser  for  such 
franchise  and  the  property  constructed  or  used  in  connection  there- 
with upon  terms  and  in  a  manner  calculated  to  render  the  legiti- 
mate and  judicious  investment  of  private  capital  under  such  fran- 
chise safe  and  remunerative,  such  terms  and  manner  to  be  pre- 
scribed by  a  general  ordinance  hereafter  to  be  passed  by  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  and  ratified  by  the  people  of  the  City  and  County 
of  San  Francisco.  Such  franchise  may  also  provide  that  at  the 
expiration  thereof,  the  City  and  County  shall  purchase  or  find  a 
purchaser  for  the  property  constructed  or  used  in  connection  there- 
with, upon  terms  and  conditions  to  be  prescribed  in  such  franchise 
or  by  such  general  ordinance  referred  to  in  the  last  preceding  sen- 
tence and  as  may  be  in  force  and  effect  at  the  time  of  the  granting 
of  such  franchise.  In  case  any  franchise  hereafter  granted  by  the 
City  and  Coimty  is  recalled  prior  to  its  expiration,  the  price  to  be 
paid  therefor  in  addition  to  the  price  of  the  property  constructed 
or  used  thereunder  is  hereby  fixed  at  the  sum  of  one  dollar,  but 
this  shall  not  be  construed  as  forbidding  the  City  and  County  to 
pa}^  a  bonus  on  account  of  the  cost  of  developing  the  business  or 
on  account  of  operating  deficits  incurred  within  ten  (10)  years  sub- 
sequent to  the  commencement  of  operation  of  any  such  utility  and 
not  made  up,  in  addition  to  a  fair  return  upon  investment,  prior 
to  the  recall  of  such  franchise.  But  in  case  the  property  of  any 
utility  is  not  purchased  until  the  expiration  of  such  franchise,  noth- 
ing whatever  shall  be  paid  for  such  franchise  or  as  such  bonus. 
Provision  shall  be  made  in  such  franchise,  or  in  such  general  ordi- 
nance above  referred  to,  for  the  amortization  out  of  earnings  of 
all  or  a  part  of  the  purchase  price  of  the  property  prior  to  the 
expiration  of  the  franchise,  and,  except  for  the  bonus  above  men- 


LEGAL   AND   FRANCHISE    MATTERS  21 

tioned,  the  entire  price  to  be  paid  for  the  property  when  acquired 
by  the  City  shall  not  exceed  the  fair  value,  at  the  time  of  such 
purchase,  of  the  tangible  property  so  acquired  less  the  amoimt 
amortized  at  the  time  of  such  purchase. 

3.  A  franchise  may  be  granted  under  this  section  either  upon 
application  to  the  Board  of  Supervisors  or  upon  proceedings 
initiated  by  resolution  of  said  Board  declaring  that  public  con- 
venience and  necessity'  require  the  grant  of  such  franchise. 

4.  Upon  application  being  made  to  the  Board  for  any  such 
franchise,  it  shall  b}'  resolution  determine  whether  such  franchise 
or  any  part  thereof  should  be  granted,  and  at  said  time  shall  deter- 
mine on  what  conditions  the  same  shall  be  granted  additional  to 
the  conditions  expressly  provided  in  this  Charter  or  in  any  general 
ordinances  then  in  force  relative  to  such  matters.  After  such  de- 
termination, it  shall  cause  notice  of  such  application  and  resolution 
to  be  advertised  in  the  official  newspaper  of  the  City  and  County 
for  ten  (10)  consecutive  days.  Such  advertisement  must  be  com- 
pleted not  less  than  twenty  (20)  nor  more  than  thirty  (30)  days 
before  any  further  action  is  taken  by  the  Board  on  such  applica- 
tion. The  advertisement  must  state  the  character  of  the  franchise 
sought,  the  term  of  its  proposed  continuance,  and  the  route  to  be 
traversed  or  the  district  to  be  served  by  such  utility,  as  the  case 
may  be ;  that  sealed  bids  will  be  received  up  to  a  certain  hour  on  a 
day  to  be  named  in  the  advertisement;  and  a  further  statement 
that  no  bids  will  be  received  of  a  stated  amount,  but  that  all  bids 
must  be  for  the  payment  to  the  City  and  County  in  lawful  money 
of  the  United  States  of  a  stated  percentage  of  the  gross  annual  re- 
ceipts of  the  person,  company  or  corporation  to  whom  the  franchise 
may  be  awarded,  arising  from  its  use,  operation,  enjoyment  or  pos- 
session; provided  that  all  costs  of  printing,  publication  and  ad- 
vertising shall  be  borne  by  the  applicant  or  applicants. 

Every  bidder  shall  file  Avith  his  bid  a  bond  executed  to  the  City 
and  County,  with  at  least  two  good  and  sufficient  sureties,  to  be 
approved  by  the  Mayor,  in  a  penal  sum  prescribed  by  the  Super- 
visors, and  set  forth  in  such  advertisement,  conditioned  that  such 
bidder  will  accept  such  franchise  if  awarded  to  him  and  will  well 
and  truh'  observe,  fulfill  and  perform  each  and  all  of  the  condi- 
tions, terms  and  obligations  of  the  franchise  for  which  said  appli- 
cation M^as  made  in  case  the  same  shall  be  awarded  to  him.  and  that 
in  case  of  the  breach  of  any  of  the  conditions  of  such  bond,  the 
whole  amount  of  the  penal  sum  therein  named  shall  be  taken  to  be 
liquidated  damages,  and  that  as  such,  shall  be  recoverable  from  the 
principal  and  surety  on  such  bond. 

At  the  next  regular  session  after  the  expiration  of  the  time 
stated  in  such  advertisement  up  to  which  such  bids  will  be  re- 
ceived, the  Board  shall  open  such  bids,  and  shall  take  into  con- 
sideration the  award  of  such  franchise.  The  Board  may  reject  any 
and  all  bids,  and  may  refuse  to  grant  the  franchise  applied  for  or 


22  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

any  part  thereof.  If  the  Board  decides  to  grant  the  franchise, 
it  shall,  within  ten  (10)  days  after  the  opening  of  such  bids,  award 
the  franchise  to  the  highest  bidder  and  introduce  an  ordinance 
making  such  grant.  At  least  thirty  (30)  days  shall  intervene  be- 
tween the  introduction  and  the  final  passage  of  such  ordinance,  and 
such  ordinance  shall  require  upon  final  passage  the  concurrence 
of  three-fourths  of  the  members  of  the  Board  and  the  approval  of 
the  ]\Iayor ;  provided,  that  if  the  Mayor  fails  or  refuses  to  approve 
such  ordinance  within  the  time  allowed  for  his  approval  or  veto  of 
ordinances  and  resolutions  under  the  provisions  of  this  Charter, 
such  grant  may  be  repassed  by  a  concurrent  vote  of  five-sixths  of 
the  members  of  the  Board,  and  shall  thereupon  become  effective 
as  if  the  Mayor  had  signed  it,  subject  only  to  the  provisions  con- 
tained elsewhere  in  this  Charter  relating  to  the  referendum. 

Except  as  in  this  section  otherwise  provided,  bidding  for  a 
franchise  shall  be  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  this  Charter 
in  relation  to  bids  made  to  the  Board  of  Public  Works,  or  such 
official  or  body  then  performing  the  duties  now  performed  by  said 
Board,  so  far  as  such  provisions  may  be  applicable.  If  any  bid 
be  accepted,  the  franchise  must  be  granted  upon  the  express  condi- 
tion that  such  franchise  shall  be. exercised  subject  to  all  the  provi- 
sions of  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  California  and  of  this 
Charter  and  of  any  general  ordinances  then  in  force  in  the  City 
and  County  of  San  Francisco  relative  to  such  franchises  or  opera- 
tion thereunder;  and  further  upon  the  express  condition  that  the 
percentum  of  the  gross  receipts  of  such  utility  payable  to  the  City 
and  County  shall  be  paid  into  the  Municipal  Treasury  on  or  before 
the  twentieth  (20th)  day  of  the  next  ensuing  month  after  such 
gross  receipts  shall  have  been  earned.  At  the  time  such  percentages 
are  due  the  grantee  shall  file  with  the  Clerk  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors a  sworn  statement  in  general  detail  of  the  gross  receipts 
upon  which  such  percentages  are  payable,  and  in  addition  to  all 
other  powers  of  examination  of  public  utility  accounts  elsewhere 
in  this  Charter  conferred  upon  the  City  and  County  or  any  de- 
partment or  officer  thereof,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  shall  have 
authority,  by  its  Finance  Committee  or  other  designated  agent, 
to  examine  the  accounts  of  such  grantee  for  the  purpose  of  verify- 
ing such  statements  of  gross  receipts.  Any  substantial  failure  on 
the  part  of  the  grantee  of  any  franchise  granted  under  this  Char- 
ter, not  due  to  causes  beyond  his  control,  or  any  refusal  of  such 
grantee  to  comply  with  the  considtions  of  such  franchise  shall  work 
an  immediate  forfeiture  of  the  grant,  and  of  all  fixed  property  con- 
structed or  acquired  thereunder  in  the  streets  or  public  places  of 
the  City  and  County  of  San  Francisco. 

5.  In  case  the  proceedings  for  the  grant  of  any  franchise  are 
initiated  by  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  rather  than  by 
an  application  for  such  franchise  the  procedure  to  be  followed  in 


LEGAL   AND    FRANCHISE   MATTERS  23 

making  such  grant  shall  be  the  same  as  above  provided  in  Subdivi- 
sion 4  of  this  section,  so  far  as  such  procedure  can  be  applied 
thereto. 

6.  In  granting  any  franchise  under  this  section  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  shall  stipulate  as  a  condition  of  such  grant  that  eight 
hours  shall  be  the  maximum  hours  of  labor  in  any  calendar  day 
for  the  emplo3^ees  of  the  grantee  or  its  successors  engaged  in  the 
construction,  maintenance  and  operation  of  the  utility  covered  by 
such  grant;  provided  that  such  eight  (8)  hours'  work  shall  be 
completed  within  ten  (10)  hours  except  in  the  case  of  the  operat- 
ing force  of  any  street  railway,  in  which  case  the  working  day 
shall  be  completed  within  thirteen  (13)  hours;  and  provided 
further,  that  nothing  in  this  section  shall  be  construed  to  prohibit 
overtime  employment,  wages  for  such  overtime  to  be  paid  at  one 
and  one-half  times  the  regular  rate  of  wages  proportionate  to  each 
hour  of  such  extra  service. 

7.  The  Board  of  Supervisors  shall  prescribe,  in  any  ordinance 
for  the  grant  of  a  franchise,  the  security  to  be  exacted  for  the  per- 
formance of  the  conditions  of  such  franchise  and  the  penalties  for 
a  breach  thereof. 

8.  No  franchise  granted  hereunder  shall  become  effective  as 
against  the  Citj^  and  County  until  the  same  has  been  accepted  in 
writing  by  the  grantee  thereof. 

9.  No  franchise  hereafter  granted  by  the  City  and  County  of 
San  Francisco,  and  no  fixed  property  constructed  or  acquired  there- 
under in  the  streets  or  public  places  of  said  City  and  County,  shall 
be  assigned,  leased,  alienated  or  transferred  in  any  manner  what- 
soever by  the  grantee  thereof,  his  successors  or  assigns,  except  by 
mortgage  or  deed  of  trust  duly  executed  in  accordance  with  the 
laws  of  the  State  of  California,  unless  such  assignment,  lease,  alien- 
ation or  transfer  shall  have  been  consented  to  by  ordinance,  and 
the  passage  of  any  such  ordinance  shall  be  governed  by  the  same 
procedure  and  shall  require  the  same  approval  as  the  ordinance 
originally  granting  such  franchise.  Any  violations  of  the  provisions 
of  this  paragraph  shall  result  in  the  immediate  forfeiture  to  the 
City  and  County  of  such  franchise  and  property. 

RESETTLEMENT  OR  ADJUSTMENT  FRANCHISES. 

That  Section  7  of  Chapter  II  of  Article  II  be  amended  to  read 
as  follows: 

Section  7.  In  order  to  further  the  established  polic}^  of  the 
City  and  County  of  San  Francisco  gradually  to  acquire  and  ulti- 
mately to  own  its  public  utilities,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  may 
negotiate  a  general  resettlement  of  the  franchise  rights  and  obliga- 
tions of  any  person,  company  or  corporation  actually  operating 
a  public  utility  in  said  City  and  County  at  the  time  this  amendnient 
becomes  effective,  upon  the  following  terms  and  conditions  • 


24  SAN    FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

1.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  provide  for  the  sur- 
render by  the  grantee  thereof  of  all  franchises  or  rights  claimed 
by  such  grantee  for  the  occupation  of  the  streets  or  public  places 
of  said  City  and  County  at  the  time  of  such  resettlement,  and  the 
acceptance,  in  lieu  of  such  franchises  and  rights  so  surrendered, 
of  the  rights  and  privileges  granted  by  such  resettlement  franchise 
as  the  sole  franchise  for  the  continued  operation  of  such  utility 
within  the  limits  of  said  City  and  County. 

2.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  provide  that  the  City 
and  County  may  at  any  time  on  six  (6)  months'  notice  purchase 
such  franchise  and  the  property,  real  and  personal,  actually  used 
and  useful  and,  in  the  discretion  of  the  City  and  County,  such 
other  property  of  the  grantee  as  may  be  prospectively  useful  in 
the  operation  of  such  utility,  upon  payment  therefor  of  an  amount, 
and  in  a  manner,  to  be  determined  as  shall  be  prescribed  by  such 
resettlement  franchise. 

3.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  make  provision  for 
the  extension  and  development  of  the  utility  operated  thereunder 
in  accordance  with  the  needs  of  said  City  and  County  and  the 
inhabitants  thereof  as  such  needs  may  from  time  to  time  arise,  and 
all  extensions  and  improvements  of  such  utility  subsequent  to  the 
date  of  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  be  subject  to  the  terms 
thereof. 

4.  No  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  in  any  case  confer  upon 
the  grantee  thereof  the  right  to  occupy  the  streets  or  public  places 
of  said  City  and  County  for  a  longer  period  than  twenty  (20)  years 
from  the  date  thereof  unless  effective  provision  is  made  therein 
for  the  gradual  reduction  of  the  purchase  price  by  means  of  an 
amortization  or  other  fund  accumulated  out  of  earnings,  sufficient 
to  retire,  within  such  period  of  twenty  (20)  years,  all  elements  of 
intangible  value  included  in  the  purchase  price  as  defined  in  sub- 
division 6  of  this  section. 

5.  No  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  in  any  case  confer  upon 
the  grantee  thereof  the  right  to  occupy  the  streets  and  public  places 
of  said  City  and  County  for  more  than  forty  (40)  years  from  the 
date  thereof  unless  effective  provision  is  contained  therein  for  re- 
tiring within  such  period  of  forty  (40)  years,  in  addition  to  the  in- 
tangible value  referred  to  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  at  least  all 
that  portion  of  the  purchase  price  representing  fixed  structures  in 
the  streets  and  public  places  and  all  lands  and  landed  rights 
actually  used  and  useful,  at  the  end  of  such  period  of  forty  (40) 
years,  in  the  operation  of  such  utility  and  included  in  the  original 
appraisal  at  the  date  of  such  resettlement  franchise  or  added  under 
the  terms  thereof  within  twenty  (20)  years  after  such  date. 

6.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  provide  a  fixed  agreed 
price  for  the  property  of  such  grantee  based  upon  an  appraisal  at 
a  date  named  therein,  which  shall  constitute  the  basic  price  for 


LEGAL   AND    FRANCHISE   MATTERS  25 

purchase  by  the  City  and  County.  For  determining  the  actual 
purchase  price  at  which  the  City  and  County  may  take  over  the 
property  at  any  given  time^  additions  to  and  subtractions  from  such 
basic  price  shall  be  made  as  follows : 

There  shall  be  added  the  cost  from  time  to  time  of  improve- 
ments, additions,  betterments  and  extensions  properlj^  chargeable 
to  capital  account,  such  cost  to  be  ascertained  in  a  manner  to  be 
determined  by  such  franchise. 

There  shall  be  subtracted  from  such  basic  price  the  original 
appraised  value  of  any  property  permanently  alienated  by  the 
grantee  and  not  replaced  prior  to  the  time  of  such  purchase. 

There  shall  also  be  subtracted  from  such  basic  price  the  amount 
of  depreciation,  if  any,  in  the  value  of  the  tangible  property  of 
such  utility,  other  than  land,  which  may  have  accrued  through  neg- 
lected maintenance  subsequent  to  the  date  of  the  original  appraisal 
and  prior  to  the  date  of  such  purchase,  the  amount  of  any  such 
depreciation,  if  not  agreed  upon  by  the  parties,  to  be  determined, 
upon  application  of  the  City  and  County,  by  the  California  Rail- 
road Commission  or  by  arbitration,  as  may  be  set  forth  in  such 
resettlement  franchise. 

There  shall  also  be  subtracted  from  such  basic  price  the  amount 
of  any  payments  made  to  the  grantee  prior  to  the  time  of  said 
purchase  applicable  to  reduction  of  capital  value  or  purchase  price 
and  the  amount  of  any  amortization  or  other  fund  in  the  hands 
of  the  grantee,  or  payable  to  the  grantee,  accumulated  out  of 
earnings  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  such  reduction. 

7.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  provide  for  the  in- 
vestment of  the  amortization  or  purchase  fimd  in  the  securities  of 
such  utility,  or  of  other  local  utilities  operated  under  similar  fran- 
chises, or  in  the  bonds  of  the  City  and  County,  to  the  end  that  such 
fund  shall  be  invested  in  such  a  way  as  to  accumulate  as  rapidly  as 
shall  be  consistent  with  safe  and  conservative  management,  and  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  minimize  the  cost  of  securing  additional  capital 
for  the  extension  and  improvement  of  the  plant  of  such  utility. 

8.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  provide  for  adequate 
continuous  control  by  the  City  and  County  over  the  construction, 
accounts,  equipment  and  service  of  such  utility  during  the  entire 
life  of  such  franchise,  and  especially  it  shall  provide  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  property  of  such  utility  at  the  highest  practicable 
standard  of  operating  efficiency  throughout  the  life  of  such  fran- 
chise. 

9.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  may  provide  that  the  City 
and  County,  in  taking  over  the  property  of  such  utility  at  any 
time,  may  assume  the  bonds  then  outstanding  against  such  utility 
not  exceeding  in  aggregate  amount  the  appraised  value  of  the  tangi- 
ble property  acquired  at  the  time  of  such  purchase,  and  in  such 
case  the  par  value  of  the  bonds  so  assumed  shall  be  deducted  from 


26  SAN   FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

the  purchase  price  as  determined  in  accordance  with  such  franchise. 
The  bonds  so  assumed  shall  no  longer,  after  such  purchase,  be  a  lien 
upon  the  franchise  or  property  of  the  utility  as  such,  but  may  be 
secured  by  the  general  credit  of  the  City  and  County,  or  as  a  lien 
upon  a  fixed  percentage  or  amount  of  the  gross  earnings  of  such 
utility,  or  otherwise,  as  may  be  provided  in  such  resettlement 
franchise. 

10.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  may  provide  as  a  no.xt 
charge  after  operating  expenses  and  maintenance,  including  proper 
provision  for  current  depreciation,  an  allowance  to  the  owner  of 
such  utility  of  an  annual  return  upon  the  capital  value  of  such 
utility  represented  in  the  purchase  price  as  determined  from  time 
to  time  in  the  manner  prescribed  in  such  franchise.  It  may  pro- 
vide further  for  a  division  of  net  profits,  or  for  a  bonus  for  skill- 
ful operation,  or  for  other  means  calculated  to  enlist  the  motive 
of  the  owners  or  operators  of  such  utility  for  the  rendition  of  ade- 
quate, safe  and  convenient  service  and  for  the  efficient  and  eco- 
nomical operation  of  such  utility. 

11.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  may  provide  that  any 
share  of  the  net  profits  payable  to  the  City  and  County  under  the 
terms  of  such  franchise,  or  any  other  income  derived  by  the  City 
and  County  from  the  utility  operated  under  such  franchise,  shall 
be  put  into  the  amortization  or  purchase  fund  in  addition  to  the 
regular  contributions  to  such  fund  out  of  earnings,  in  order  to 
hasten  as  much  as  possible  the  reduction  of  the  purchase  price  or 
capital  value  of  such  utility. 

12.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  provide  that  eight 
(8)  hours  shall  be  the  maximum  hours  of  labor  in  any  calendar 
day  for  the  emploj^es  engaged  in  the  construction,  operation  and 
maintenance  of  the  utility  under  such  franchise ;  provided,  that 
such  eight  (8)  hours'  work  shall  be  completed  within  ten  (10) 
hours,  except  in  the  case  of  the  operating  force  of  any  street  rail- 
way, in  which  case  the  working  day  shall  be  completed  within  thir- 
teen (13)  hours,  and  provided  further,  that  nothing  in  this  par- 
agraph shall  be  construed  to  prohibit  overtime  employment,  wages 
for  such  overtime  to  be  paid  at  one  and  one-half  times  the  regular 
rate  of  wages  proportionate  to  each  hour  of  such  extra  service. 

13.  No  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  include  more  than 
one  kind  of  public  utility  in  the  same  contract  or  ordinance,  and 
no  such  contract  or  ordinance  shall  go  into  effect  until  it  shall 
have  been  submitted  to  the  electors  of  the  City  and  County  of  San 
Francisco  and  shall  have  received  the  approval  of  the  majority 
of  those  voting  thereon. 

14.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  shall  be  introduced  in  the 
form  of  an  ordinance  and  laid  over  for  at  least  thirty (30)  days 
prior  to  being  passed  to  print,  during  which  period  public  hear- 


LEGAL   AND    FRANCHISE   MATTERS  27 

ings  shall  be  held,  and  shall  remain  before  the  Board  for  sixty  (60) 
days  thereafter  before  its  final  passage,  and  shall  be  passed  by  a 
two-thirds  vote  of  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  and 
shall  be  signed  by  the  ]\Iayor,  or  in  case  of  his  veto  of  such  fran- 
chise, shall  be  repassed  by  a  five-sixths  vote  of  the  members  of  such 
Board  in  its  final  form  and  published  not  less  than  sixty  (60) 
days  prior  to  the  date  of  the  election  at  which  it  is  to  be  voted  on 
by  the  people.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
to  give  public  hearings  on  such  proposed  resettlement  franchise 
prior  to  its  final  passage,  and  immediately  after  such  final  pas- 
sage, and  within  seven  (7)  days  thereof,  to  cause  such  franchise 
to  be  printed  in  convenient  pamphlet  form  for  public  distribution, 
and  to  publish  daily  thereafter  up  to  the  date  of  such  election  in 
the  oflficial  paper  of  the  City  and  County  notice  to  the  effect  that 
any  person  may  secure  a  printed  copy  of  such  franchise  free  of 
charge  by  application  therefor  in  person  or  by  mail  to  the  Clerk 
of  the  Board  of  Supervisors;  provided,  that  all  costs  of  printing, 
publication  and  advertising  shall  be  borne  by  the  applicant  or  ap- 
plicants. 

15.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  may  provide  that  the  City 
and  County  may  at  its  option  designate  a  licensee  who  shall  have 
the  same  right  to  take  over  the  franchise  and  property  of  such 
utility  upon  notice  from  the  City  and  County  as  the  City  and 
County  itself  has,  except  that  such  licensee  may  be  required  to  pay 
a  bonus  to  the  holder  of  the  franchise,  the  amount  of  which  shall 
be  fixed  in  such  resettlement  franchise,  in  addition  to  the  price 
the  City  and  County  would  have  to  pay  if  it  took  the  property 
over  for  itself  at  that  time,  but  the  designation  of  such  licensee 
shall  be  by  ordinance  only,  and  no  such  ordinance  shall  go  into 
effect  until  it  has  been  submitted  to  the  electors  of  the  City  and 
County  and  approved  by  the  majority  voting  thereon. 

16.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  may  provide  that  upon 
the  annexation  to  or  consolidation  with  the  City  and  County  of 
San  Francisco  of  any  territory  not  now  included  in  said  Citj^  and 
County,  any  franchises  or  rights  to  operate  such  utility  held  or 
claimed  by  the  grantee  of  such  resettlement  franchise  in  or  for 
all  or  any  portion  of  such  annexed  or  consolidated  territory  shall 
thereupon  be  surrendered  to  the  said  City  and  County  of  San 
Francisco  and  that  the  privileges  and  obligations  of  such  reset- 
tlement franchise  shall  thereupon  automatically  extend  to 
such  additional  territory-  or  any  part  thereof  and  an  appraisal  and 
valuation  of  the  franchises  and  property  used  and  useful  or,  in 
the  discretion  of  said  City  and  County,  prospectively  useful  in 
the  supply  of  such  utility  to  the  area  so  annexed  to  or  consolidated 
with  said  City  and  County,  and  not  included  in  the  capital  value 
or  purchase  price  alreadj^  fixed  in  such    resettlement    franchise, 


28  SAN   FRANCISCO   TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

shall  be  made  in  a  manner  to  be  prescribed  in  such  franchise  to 
the  end  that  the  option  of  the  City  and  County  to  buy  such  utility 
and  to  require  extensions  and  betterments  thereof,  and  all  of  the 
rights  and  obligations  acquired,  assumed,  granted  or  imposed  by 
or  upon  either  the  City  and  County  or  the  grantee  by  such  reset- 
tlement franchise  shall  extend  to  all  the  territory  now  or  hereafter 
included  in  said  City  and  County  so  far  as  such  territory  may  be 
occupied  by  such  utility ;  or  such  franchise  may  provide  for  the 
extension  of  the  terms  thereof  in  the  manner  just  described  to 
such  annexed  or  consolidated  territory  only  as  shall  be  contiguous 
by  land  to  the  City  and  County  of  San  Francisco  as  now  consti- 
tuted. 

17.  In  the  negotiation,  framing  and  passage  of  any  such  re- 
settlement franchise  the  Board  of  Supervisors  shall  not  be  subject 
to  or  bound  by  the  terms  and  conditions  relating  to  franchise 
grants  contained  in  subdivisions  2  to  5,  inclusive,  of  section  6  of 
this  chapter,  but  may,  in  its  discretion,  impose  terms  and  condi- 
tions in  addition  to  and  different  from,  but  not  inconsistent  with, 
the  provisions  of  this  section. 

18.  Any  such  resettlement  franchise  may  be  amended  from 
time  to  time  by  ordinance  passed  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  ap- 
proved by  the  Mayor  and  ratified  by  the  people  in  the  manner 
herein  prescribed  for  the  passage  of  such  franchise  in  the  first  in- 
stance ;  provided,  that  any  such  amendment  shall  not  be  effective 
unless  accepted  by  the  grantee  of  such  franchise  and  that  such 
amendment  shall  in  no  respect  contravene  the  provisions  of  this 
section. 

That  sections  7a,  7b  and  7c  of  Chapter  II  of  Article  III  are 
hereby  repealed. 

Ordered  submitted — Board  of  Supervisors,  San  Francisco,  No- 
vember 7,  1912. 

Ayes:  Supervisors  Bancroft,  Caglieri,  G.  E.  Gallagher,  Gian- 
nini,  Hilmer,  Hocks,  Jennings,  Koshland,  Mauzy,  McLeran,  Mur- 
dock,  Murphy,  Payot,  Vogelsang. 

Absent :  Supervisors  A.  J.  Gallagher,  Hayden,  McCarthy, 
Nolan. 

J.  S.  DUNNIGAN,  Clerk. 


End  of  Preliminary  Eeport  No.  13 — Part  I. 


REPORT 


ON 


GROWTH  !0F  TRAFFIC  AND 

IN^/ESTMENT  IN  TRANSIT 
FACILITIES 


TO   TlIE 


BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 

Gity  of  San  Francisco 


BY 

BlQN    J,    ARNOLD 

Consullln?  Ent^ineer 


PreUminary  Report  No.  19 

Submitted  Jan.  2,  I9l3 


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REPORT 


ON 


GROWTH  OF  TRAFFIC  AND 

INVESTMENT  IN  TRANSIT 

FACILITIES 


Analysis  of  Past,  Present  and  Future 

TO  THE 

BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS 
City  of  San  Francisco 

BY 

BION    J.    ARNOLD 

Consulting  Engineer 


Preliminary  Report  No.  19 

Submitted  Jan.  2,  1913 


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FIG.    I— ARNOLD     PREDICTION     OF     Fl'TT-RE     POPI'LATION     SAX     FRAX- 
CISCO    AND    COMMUTER    DISTRICT. 

I'pon  a  prediction  of  population  growth  fundamentally  rests  the  possible  future 
of  transportation,  traffic,  earnings,  service  and  investment.  The  conservative 
nature  of  tliis  estimate  for  San  Francisco,  shown  Ijy  the  heavy  black  line,  is 
apparent  from  the  other  curves  of  possible  future  growth. 


GROWTH  OF  TRAFFIC  AND  INVESTMENT 
IN  TRANSIT  FACILITIES 

PRELIMINARY    REPORT    No.  19. 

ANALYSIS    OF    PAST    AND    PRESENT    GROWTH,    SAN    FRANCISCO 

AND    TRIBUTARY    COMMUNITIES,  AND    PREDICTION 

OF    FUTURE    REQUIREMENTS. 

I — Deduction  of  General  Lawrs  of  Growth;  Population  Dis- 
tribution and  Commercial  Growth. 

II — Prediction    of    Income,    Equipment    and    Investment    in 
Transit  Facilities. 

Board  of  Supervisors, 

City  of  San  Francisco. 
Gentlemen : 

In  order  to  properly  preface  the  tinal  chapters  of  my  report, 
it  is  my  desire  to  give  you  the  clearest  possible  conception  of  what 
the  future  has  in  store  for  San  Francisco  if  your  city  makes  full 
use  of  its  opportunities,  and  its  relation  to  the  present  problem. 
On  the  one  hand,  it  is  necessary  for  you  to  review  the  past  growth 
of  transit  operations  to  ascertain  whether  this  growth  has  kept 
pace  with  necessities.  On  the  other,  it  is  idle  to  plan  for  even  the 
near  future  without  a  full  understanding  of  the  magnitude  of  the 
problem  of  at  least  25  yeai's  hence.  And  it  is  equally  futile  to  plan 
for  the  ultimate  unification  of  the  utilities  under  municipal  con- 
trol Avithout  Iniowing  what  this  control  involves  in  direct  financial 
burden  upon  the  City. 

This  chapter  therefore  attempts  to  predict,  with  all  due  con- 
servatism, future  growth  and  transit  requirements,  based  not  upon 
a  personal  opinion,  but  upon  a  careful  scientific  analysis.  Accu- 
rate predictions  are  made  particularly  difficult  by  the  erratic  devel- 
opment of  San  Francisco,  and  especially  by  the  disturbing  element 
introduced  by  the  disaster  of  1906;  but  a  conservative  stand  has 
been  taken  in  the  endeavor  to  avoid  over-estimation  of  growth  and 
necessities,  for  the  future  will  care  for  itself  more  easily  if  provided 
for  now  to  a  reasonable  degree. 

The  year  1930  will  mark  an  epoch  in  the  city's  career,  as  about 
two-thirds  of  the  present  railway  franchises  expire,  and  the  City 
will  be  called  upon  to  fulfill  its  expressed  policy  of  municipal 
ownership  of  utilities,  if  such  policy  is  not  carried  to  fruition  be- 
fore that  time.  Inasmuch  as  a  probable  settlement  of  present  con- 
troversies will  not  involve  operating  periods  exceeding  25  to  40 


Footnote:    For  list  of  exhibits  accompanying  Report,  see  Appendix,  pase  23. 


4  SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

years,  no  attempt  is  made  to  delve  fuitlicr  into  the  future  than 
1950. 

This  particular  phase  of  the  present  problem  of  San  Francisco 
is  therefore  to  determine  whether  transit  facilities  have  developed 
at  the  i)roper  rate,  and  what  the  future  will  require  in  etiuipmeut 
and  investment.  For  only  by  this  intensive  examination  may  the 
operating  and  tinancial  blunders  of  the  past  be  avoided,  both  novv 
and  in  the  future. 

Conclusions   and  Recommendations. 

1.  An  analysis  of  growth  shows  tliat  San  Francisco  is  now 
growing-  faster  tlian  during  the  tive  years  before  the  fire,  and  at 
a  rate  of  increase  about  145.000  per  decade.  The  real  growth  of 
the  city,  excluding-  the  effect  of  the  fire,  has  been  at  the  rate  of 
54'/  for  the  last  decade,  as'against  22%  shown  by  the  census.  At 
the  present  time  the  city  contains  about  450,000  people.  This  pop- 
ulation will  double  in  26  years,  and  will  reach  1,000.000  people  in 
1945. 

2.  The  8an  Francisco  commuter  district  now  has  a  population 
of  728,000  people,  and  has  increased  48%  in  the  last  decade.  This 
population  will  double  in  23  years,  reach  1.000,000  in  1919,  and 
2,000,000  in  1945. 

3.  In  spite  of  this  rapid  growth,  other  large  cities  of  the  Pa- 
cific Coast  are  growing  on  the  average  at  a  rate  probably  50% 
faster  than  San  Francisco. 

4.  As  a  result  of  the  fire,  San  Francisco  ]o.st  100,000  people 
permanently.  The  trans-bay  cities  gained  in  population  by  an 
amount  practically  equal  to  San  Francisco's  loss.  But  traffic  sta- 
tistics show  that  Oakland  and  its  surrounding  communities  are 
becoming-  self-supporting  to  such  an  extent  that  the  exodus  from 
San  Francisco  has  practically  ceased,  and  that  Oakland  will  go 
forward  at  a  normal  rate  as  a  supplementary  community. 

5.  One  beneficial  result  of  the  fire  w^as  a  general  exodus  of 
residents  from  the  congested  "inner  city"  to  the  suburbs,  amount- 
ing to  66,000  people  in  the  last  census  period.  This  has  necessarily 
increased  railway  earnings  and  should  therefore  have  made  possi- 
ble correspondingly  improved  service.  The  present  distribution 
of  population  within  the  30-minute  time  zone  is  unusually  uniform, 
except  Chinato\vn  and  Japto\^^l.  The  outlj'ing  distribution  indi- 
cates that  people  will  live  where  proper  street  and  car  service 
facilities  are  provided. 

6.  The  growth  and  interchange  of  population  Avithin  the  dis-. 
trict  shows  that  the  broader  movements  of  population  absolutely 
disregard  municipal  boundaries.  The  idea  of  a  Metropolitan  Dis- 
trict Control  for  the  development  and  regulation  of  utilities  and 
industries  is  therefore  of  unusual  necessity  for  San  Francisco  and 
the  Baj^  cities. 

7.  A  review  of  industrial  growth  shows  that  the  period  of 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT  5 

great  activity  occurring'  just  before  tlie  tire  was  practically  re- 
covered by  1910,  and  that  commercial  operations  now  generally 
exceed  those  of  1905.  The  fact  that  bank  clearings  suffered  no 
perceptible  depression  during  the  disastrous  year  of  the  fire  indi- 
cates the  sustaining  power  of  the  financial  credit  of  the  com- 
munity. 

8.  Manufacturing  within  the  Industrial  District  has  alone 
failed  to  keep  pace  with  the  population  within  the  last  decade.  In 
this  respect  the  Bay  cities  have  gained  directly  from  San  Fran- 
cisco's heavy  loss.  The  evident  need  for  a  more  united  Industrial 
District  points  unmistakably  to  the  practical  value  of  the  Metropol- 
itan District  Control  idea  already  suggested. 

9.  An  analysis  of  railway  earnings  shows  that  they  are  in- 
creasing in  proportion  to  the  square  of  the  population — that  is, 
when  the  population  doubles,  earnings  quadruple.  United  Rail- 
roads earnings  alone  should  double  in  the  next  13Vij  years — i.  e., 
should  reach  $16,000,000  by  1924-5 — and  should  quadruple  bj^ 
19-12.  Earnings  per  capita  are  now  the  highest  in  the  country — 
$20  per  capita  for  all  companies. 

10.  In  extension  of  track  mileage.  San  Francisco  is  at  least  six 
years  behind  the  necessities  of  the  growth  in  population.  Track- 
age should  extend  at  least  as  fast  as  the  population,  if  not  faster. 
The  total  track  mileage  is  now  about  the  same  as  before  the  fire, 
due  to  abandonments,  and  the  last  15  years  shows  a  slower  growth 
than  at  any  period  of  the  city's  history.  This  delayed  construc- 
tion must  now  be  made  up. 

11.  The  present  necessities  for  track  extension  require  about 
15  miles  per  year  up  to  1920.  This  will  be  just  sufficient  to  com- 
plete the  extension  schedule  called  for  in  Eeport  No.  10,  and  is 
also  required  to  catch  up  with  the  normal  growth  in  population. 
From]  1868  to  the  time  of  the  Market  Street  consolidation,  track 
mileage  was  extended  at  the  rate  of  8.1  miles  per  year;  during 
the  maximum  period,  16  miles  per  year.  Since  the  consolidation, 
the  rate  of  growth  has  only  averaged  3.6  miles  per  year. 

12.  The  total  operating  equipment  of  all  companies  in  1911 
was  676  cars.  Prior  to  the  fire,  there  were  many  miore  cars  re- 
ported, but  of  smaller  capacity,  averaging  about  30  seats,  as  against 
about  42  seats  at  the  present  time.  Several  hundred  obsolete  and 
worn  out  cars  were  retired  in  1907. 

13.  The  total  seating  capacity  at  the  present  timie  appears 
to  be  about  the  same  as  before  the  fire,  but  it  is  a  question  whether 
the  service  capacity,  in  proportion  to  traffic,  is  as  great  even  in 
view  of  the  increased  schedule  speed,  owing  to  the  exodus  of  pop- 
Tilation  from  the  inner  city  to  the  outlying  districts  within  the  last 
census  period. 

14.  Assuming  the  new  equipment  now  or  order  by  the  United 
Railroads  had  been  available  to  rectifj^  the  service  requirements 


6  SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

of  1911,  the  future  growth  of  the  city  will  require  the  addition  of 
from  40  to  50  cars  per  year.  This  is  a  minimum  schedule  that  can 
be  carried  out  without  materially  diluting  the  earning  capacity, 
as  San  Francisco  has  already  the  highest  earning  rate  from  its 
equipment  of  any  large  city  in  the  country.  From  1889  to  1896, 
an  average  of  67  cars  per  year  was  added  to  the  system  Avith 
maximum  rates  of  increase  within  the  period  of  from  140  to  200 
per  year. 

15.  The  only  way  the  above  increase  in  equipment  called  for 
may  be  reduced  is  through  the  more  efficient  use  of  available  car 
miles  by  improved  routing  and  by  further  increase  in  schedule 
speed.  The  size  of  the  car  units  has  about  reached  a  maximum 
for  the  streets  of  this  city. 

16.  That  the  extension  schedule  of  track  and  cars  called  for 
here  is  not  unreasonable  is  further  indicated  by  the  fact  that  out 
of  the  annual  budget  of  investment  predicted,  about  25%  will  re- 
mjain  up  to  1920  for  betterments  of  existing  property  over  and 
above  the  investment  in  new  extensions  and  equipment. 

17.  An  analysis  of  the  purchasing  power  of  the  City  with 
respect  to  its  utilities  shows  that  the  underlying  property  valua- 
tion is  increasing  at  a  slower  rate  than  the  necessary  railway  in- 
vestment— viz:  as  the  1.7  power  of  the  increase  in  population,  in- 
stead of  the  square  as  in  the  case  of  earnings.  At  the  very  lowest 
estimate,  $3.00  of  capital  must  be  invested  for  every  $1.00  earned. 
Under  the  present  bond  limit,  therefore,  the  City's  ability  to  pur- 
chase or  build  is  becoming  more  and  more  inadequate,  thus  re- 
quiring a  progressive  refunding  basis. 

18.  The  present  available  purchasing  power  of  the  City  is 
approximately  $51,000,000  for  all  purposes,  including  water  sup- 
ply. By  1930  the  total  railway  investment  required  will  be  $62,- 
000.000;  by  1950,  $123,000,000.  This  means  that  over  one-third 
of  the  total  bonding;  capacity  of  the  city  on  its  present  15%  basis 
would  be  continually  pre-empted  for  railway  investment  alone,  as- 
suming the  city  entirely  free  from  debt. 

19.  If  the  City  of  San  Francisco  declines  to  accept  the  assist- 
ance of  private  capital  in  financing  its  utilities  both  for  the  pres- 
ent and  the  future,  the  conclusion  cannot  be  evaded  that  a  revision 
of  the  bond  limit  must  be  secured  immediately  in  order  to 
provide  the  capital  necessary  for  preserving  the  normal  rate  of 
growth  of  the  city  as  herein  predicted. 

Respectfully  submitted, 


Prepared  Dec.  24,  1912.  Consulting  Engineer. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT 


GENERAL  DISCUSSION. 

Of  the  various  factors  involved  in  the  urowth  of  a  large  city, 
two  stand  out  predominantly  as  absolute  indices  of  the  city's 
gro^\'th : 

1.  Growth  and  density  of  popuhition. 

2.  Increase  in  ])roperty  values. 

The  tirst  is  a  measure  of  the  source  of  income  to  all  utilities. 
The  second  is  a  measure  of  the  Avealth  and  purchasing-  power  of 
the  city  with  respect  to  mimicipal  undertakings.  Supplementing 
these,  a  fair  index  of  commercial  growth  is  afforded  by  banking 
transactions  in  cities  that  are  large  enough  to  maintain  an  inde- 
pendent clearing  house. 

Growth   in   Population. 

Reviewing  the  history  of  San  Francisco,  the  growth  has  been 
so  rapid  and  erratic  that  unusual  caution  in  predicting  for  the 
future  is  necessary.  Referring  to  the  graphical  record.  Fig.  I,  it 
Avill  be  seen  that  the  city  grew  with  extraordinary  rapidity  from 
1860  to  1880.  Then  ensued  a  period  of  retarded  tate  of  groA\i:h 
imtil  1902.  when  a  new  period  of  unprecedented  activity  began, 
extending  up  to  the  time  of  the  fire,  with  an  average  rate  of 
growth  of  about  30,000  per  year.  Had  the  average  rate  from  1900 
to  1905  continued,  San  Francisco  today  would  have  had  a  popula- 
tion of  approximately  550.000  people.  At  the  present  time,  1912, 
the  population  is  approximately  450,000. 

Effect  of  the  Fire  of  1906.  As  a  result  of  the  fire,  the 
population  in  1907  stood  practically  the  same  as  in  1902.  But  it 
is  an  encouraging  fact  that  since  this  time  the  city  has  grown  at 
an  average  faster  than  before  the  fire,  viz :  20,000  persons  per  year, 
so  that  the  real  rate  of  growth  of  San  Francisco  within  the  last 
decade  has  l>een  at  the  rate  of  547c  as  against  21.6%  shown  by  the 
census  figures.  This  higher  rate  is  only  exceeded  by  two  decades 
in  its  past  history.  Just  prior  to  the  disaster,  the  population  of 
this  city  has  been  estimated  as  450,000  (on  a  basis  of  average 
school  attendance).  Following  the  fire,  an  immediate  exodus  of 
275,000  people  took  place  (based  upon  General  Greeley's  estimate). 
If  this  estimate  is  correct,  about  100,000  people  have  never  reset- 
tled in  San  Francisco. 

This  is  confirmed  by  considering  the  expansion  of  transbay 
residence  territory  outside  of  the  industrial  district,*  such  as  Marin 
County  and  Peninsula.  But  it  is  also  true  that  the  metropolis 
is  regaining  lost  ground  at  a  rapid  rate,  and  will  continue  to  do 
so.  In  fact,  transbay  traffic  statistics  indicate  that  Oakland, 
Berkelev  and  Alameda  are  rapidly  becoming  commercially  self- 


SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM 


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FIG.   II— ANALYSIS    OF     LIMITING    RATES    OF    POPULATION    GROWTH. 

A  survey  of  this  nature  is  necessary  to  reach  reasonable  conclusions  for  the 
future  in  a  city  subject  to  such  erratic  growth  as  San  Francisco.  These  curves 
demonstrate  the  indisputable  fact  that  cities  grow  with  a  decreasing  rate  of 
increase.  For  example,  it  was  found  that  normal  eastern  cities  of  500,000  inhab- 
itants grew  at  a  rate  of  135,000  in  10  years,  or  36  per  cent  (see  curves,  dotted 
code),  while  at  a  population  of  1,000,000  the  rate  had  decreased  to  27  per  cent, 
althougli  the  actual  increase  was  290,000  per  decade.  Any  fixed  rate  or  percentage 
compounded  through  a  long  period  would  usually  lead  to  impossible  results.  This 
study  forms  the  basis  of  the  prediction  curves,  Fig.  I. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT  9 

centered,  and  self-supportiner,  and  that  San  Francisco  and  Oak- 
land "svill  continue  to  grow  in  the  future  as  supplemental  conianuni- 
ties  without  any  further  marked  transference  of  population  such 
as  occurred  after  the  fire.  This  is  as  it  should  be.  and  it  remains 
only  for  San  Francisco  to  develop  the  attractive  residence  dis- 
tricts within  its  own  borders  to  maintain  its  present  rapid  p-rowth. 
The  infiuence  of  the  crreat  fire  in  accelerating-  the  growth  of 
the  suburban  Bay  communities  has  been  marked.  Oakland,  by 
census  estimate,  had  gained  but  5.700  people  between  1900  and 
1905,  but  increased  78,000  between  1905  and  1910.  Similarly, 
Berkeley  gained  5,400  population  during  the  first  five  years  and 
22.000  during  the  last.  The  entire  bay  industrial  district,  exclu- 
sive of  San  Francisco,  increased  only  15.000  between  1900  and 
1905,  and  114,000  thereafter.  Avithin  the  decade. 

Future  Growth.  The  analysis  upon  which  the  future  growth 
is  based  has  included  the  following  considerations : 

1.  San  Francisco,  the  commercial  metropolis  of  the  West. 

2.  Effect  of  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal. 

3.  Temporary  effect  of  the  Panama-Pacific   Exposition. 

4.  Climatic  and  scenic  advantages  of  San  Francisco. 

5.  Effect  of  unusual  isolation  of  San  Francisco. 

6.  Growth  of  other  Pacific  Coast  cities. 

7.  Normal  and  slow  growth  of  Eastern  cities. 

8.  ^Maximum  and  minimum  past  gro^^i:h  in  San  Francisco. 

The  basis  of  analysis  is  best  indicated  by  the  growth  charac- 
teristic curve,  Fig.  II.  in  which  the  actual  mcrease  per  decade  is 
recorded  at  various  stages  of  growth  in  the  development  of  cities. 
Thus,  for  a  city  of  450,000  inhabitants,  such  as  San  Francisco  at 
the  present  time,  an  actual  increase  per  decade  is  recorded  as  fol- 
lows : 

Eastern   cities,   slow   growth 105,000  per  decade 

San  Francisco,  slow  growth 125.000  per  decade 

Eastern    cities.    ]\Iax.   normal 170.000  per  decade 

Other  Pacific  Coast  cities 210,000  per  decade 

Arnold  estimate,  San  Francisco 145.000  per  decade 

These  composite  curves  recognize  an  unquestioned  fact  in  the 
growth  of  cities  that  normal  growth  takes  place  with  a  decreasing 
rate  of  increase.  The  conservative  nature  of  the  rate  finally  se- 
lected for  San  Francisco  will  be  apparent  from  a  study  of  this 
curve.  It  is  neither  optimistic  nor  pessimjstic.  And  although 
the  predictions  may  very  likely  fall  short  of  the  next  census,  it 
would  "be  entirely  improper  to  recognize  erratic  growth,  although 
such  may  have  been  recorded  in  the  past.     From  the  "Arnold 

♦Including  San  Francisco,  Oakland,  Alameda.  Berkeley,  and  Township  Xo.  1 
of  San  Mateo  County.. 


10  SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 

Normal  Growth   Curve''  tlie  following?  prediction  for  the  future 
City  of  San  Francisco  is  obtained : 

San  Francisco — 

Dec-aile  EiKlins  Increase,  ppr  Cent.  Population. 

(19121)  450,000- 

1920  34  558.000 

1930  29.3  722,000 

1940  25  909,000 

1950  23.3  1.121,000 

In  establishing  the  initial  percentage  for  the  present  decade, 
the  probable  fact  has  been  given  weight  that  a  considerable  part 
of  the  permanent  loss  due  to  the  fire  will  be  made  up  by  the  per- 
manent gain  due  to  the  Exposition. 

Commuter  District.  To  fortify  these  conclusions  with  re>-\ 
speet  to  >San  Francisco,  it  is  desirable  to  predict  in  the  same  man- 
ner the  growth  of  the  commuter  district  that  may  be  properly 
termed  tributary  to  San  Francisco  (as  defined  in  Table  II).  Prac-  - 
tically  the  same  basis  of  analysis  has  been  used,  and  although  an 
extraordinarily  rapid  gro\\i:h  of  the  Bay  cities  has  occurred  with- 
in the  past  decade,  the  rates  used  have  been  tempered  with  due 
conservatism : 


Population. 

728.000 
1,019,000 
1,366.000 
1,760,000 
2,202,000 

A  clear  idea  of  the  extent  of  this  commuter  district  maj'  be 
best  obtained  from  the  General  Transportation  Map,  Fig.  X, 
showing  both  electric  and  steam  lines  entering  the  city,  and  those 
converging  from  the  surrounding  districts  to  the  bay  ferries. 
Moreover,  the  relative  growth  within  the  last  two  decades  is  indi- 
cated in  order  to  give  a  graphical  picture  of  the  correct  position 
of  San  Francisco  in  respect  to  its  neighboring  communities.  For 
example,  the  Alameda  County  cities  have  more  than  doubled  their 
population  in  the  last  decade,  while  San  Francisco  improved  upon 
its  previous  10-year  growth.  Or  considering  all  of  the  commuter 
towns  alone,  it  is  found  that  the  population  has  more  than  doubled^ 
while  with  San  Francisco  included,  the  total  rate  of  increase  has 
been  nearly  48'/.  the  highest  of  the  last  three  decades.  This 
commuter  district  differs  from  the  "Indu.strial  District"  of  the 
census  by  iucludiiiii-  many  residential  suburbs  not  devoted  to  man- 
ufacturing. 


Commuter 

Distr 

ict— 

Decade  End 

ing 

Increase,  per 

■  Cent. 

1910 

1920 

40 

1930 

34 

1940 

29 

1950 

25 

jl  the  absolute  dependenoe  of  tlie  people  upon  transit  lines. 
M'ation  district.     The  unsettled  areas  of  San   Francisco  are 


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UNIFIED  SYSTEM 

'    NON-COMPETITIVE  i 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  POPULATION 

SAN  FRANCISCO 


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PA55E>JGER  TRANSPORTATION 

AND  GROWTH  MAP  Of  POPULATION 

SAN  FR'ANC15C0   6-    BAY    C0UNTIC5 


BlON    J.  ARNOLD 
ON  Tiit 

5AN  rRAt-K.\XO  Tf?AN5PORTATlON  PROBtCn 

TO  the:  HON    BOARD   OF  5uPe(?VI50R5 

CITY  OF   SAN  FRANCISCO 


ER    DISTRICT. 

are  of  great  Interest  in  indicating  recent  growth  resulting  from  the 
s  traversing  the  bottom  lands  clearly  indicates  the  limits  and  posslbihties 
hrough  the  Market  Street  extension  tunnel  under  Twin  Peaks  stand  ou* 
cap   of   at    least    2o  minutes    more    running   time    via   the    water    routes. 

itan  district  control  of  utilities  and  industrial  development. 


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PASSENGER  TRANSPORTATION 

AND  GROWTH  MAP  OF  POPULATION 

5AN  FF?ANC15C0   6-    BAY    C0UNTIC5 

A^COnPANVINC   TMC     »CPOfiT  0» 

BlON    J.  APNOLD 

5ANrBflNa5C0  TRANSPORTATION  FTOBuEn 

TQ  TME:  HON    BOARD   OF  SUPCRVISORS 

CITY  OF   SAN  FRANCISCO 


BR    DISTRICT. 

,  are  of  great  interest  in  indicating  recent  growth  resulting  from  the 
S'l'^s  traversing  the  bottom  lands  clearly  indicates  the  limits  and  possibilities 
redlstribijhrough  the  Market  Street  extension  tunnel  under  Twin  Peaks  stand  ou*^^ 
of  a  greaicap  of  at  least  20  minutes  more  running  time  via  the  water  routes, 
in  clear  <olitan  district  control  of  utilities  and  industrial  development. 
This  map 


l"»i^"""-"«' 

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:ii3|»ni!lE!! 

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llllilHii 

f%s5cnge:f?  transportation 

AND  GROWTH  MAP  OF  POPULATION 

SAN  FffANClSCO   d-     OAY    C0UNT)C5 


Showing  relative  size  of  ( 


FIG.  X— GENERAL    TRANSPORTATION    MAP    OF    COMllUTKa    DISTRICT. 

reduti-n.ntlnn-nf  .^™,/lo.l7,.,'„f>lV""'l.T'''1fl '"'''";  ^"'^.'''.'^'i' ^'"°"l'','''''''t'"  ■'^i''"'''  '*° '^^  ''''"'  """'^   ^''^''^^   '>™as  oie  of  great   interest   in   Indicating  recent   growth   resulting   from   the 

uf  a  great  tutu" e  IndustrlaV  nUrlr.,  >^,^.rn,  nrt-n-'",L'"'1f' ^  influenced  by  the  great  fire.     The  network  of  transportation  lines  traversing  the  bottom  lands  clean?  indicates  the  limits  and  JosalbiUties 

"n  Mf"'i'„;V,.";f  i.^i^Mri"!  °l;!.l'.':i  surrounding  the  Bay      Tnc  poss.billties  of  rapid  electric  transit  down  the  Peninsula  through  the  Maiket  Street  extension  tunnel  under  Twin  Peakriland  ou- 

:ss  of  transbay  development  by  electric  trains,  even  under   the   permanent    handicap    of   at    least    2(1   ^nliuites    more    running   time    via   the   water    i-outes. 

tor  a  unined  and  compacted  commuter  and  industrial  district  under  one  metropolitan  district  control  of  utilities  and  Industrial  development. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT  II 

Distribution  and  Density  of  Population.  It  will  be  well 
for  those  interested  in  the  growth  of  the  city  to  study  carefully 
the  distribution  map,  Fi»»'.  III.  which  represents  accurately  the 
distribution  of  population  of  the  1910  census  by  tho  actual  enu- 
merating: districts.  Two  so-called  "conjiested  districts"  of  the  city 
are  clearly  evident  as  "Chinatown"  and  "Japtown."  The  for- 
mer has  the  o:reater  density,  although  l)y  the  splittinji:  of  assembly 
districts  in  1910,  the  actual  fij?ures  of  density  do  not  appear  as 
high  as  in  Japtown  at  the  present  time.  (See  Table  III.)  Out- 
side of  these  two  districts,  those  parts  of  the  city  that  may  be  now 
reached  by  transit  lines  are  found  to  be  settled  quite  uniformly. 
As  mentioned  in  previous  reports,  the  30-miuute  time  zone  prac- 
tically marks  the  limits  of  heavily  settled  districts  and  will  con- 
tinue to  do  so  even  after  more  rapid  means  of  transportation  are 
provided. 

From  this  map.  Fig".  III.  it  needs  no  argument  to  reach  the  rea- 
sonable conclusion  that  with  adequate  transportation  and  other 
utilities,  Richmond,  Sunset,  Merced  and  Visitacion  need  not  lon^ 
remain  practically  unpopulated  as  at  the  present  time. 

If  the  city  be  divided  into  three  zones,  thus : 

(1)  Within  the  one-mile  circle; 

(2)  Between  one  and  three-mile  circles; 

(3)  Outside  the  three-mile  circle. 

it  is  found  that  today  only  75,000  people  live  Avithin  the  one-mile 
circle,  98,000  outside  of  the  three-mile  circle,  with  244,000  in  the  in- 
termediate zone ;  and  that  Avliile  the  densities  of  the  inner  and  in- 
termediate zones  are  nearly  the  same,  that  of  the  outer  zone  is 
only  six  persons  per  acre,  approximately  one-sixth  of  that  within 
the  three-mile  circle,  which  to  a  certain  degree  corresponds  to  the 
30-minute  timie  zone  previously  mentioned. 

Taking  the  IT.  S.  census  for  the  last  three  decades,  a  further 
comparison  may  be  made  on  the  basis  of  assembly  districts  (Fig. 
IV),  although  the  continually  changing  boundaries  of  these  dis- 
tricts make  a  direct  comparison  of  local  centers  difficult  as  between 
census  periods.  However,  the  census  records  are  illuminating  as 
applied  to  the  so-called  "inner  city",  shown  within  the  heavy 
boundary  lines  of  Fig.  IV  and  covering  approximately  the  dis- 
trict bounded  by  Van  Xess  Avenue  on  the  Avest  and  Bryant  Street 
on  the  south. 


Population, 
Inner  City. 

Area,  in  .\cr(\s. 
Inner  City. 

I)e; 

Persons 

Inner  City. 

nsit.v. 
per  Acre.* 
Outlyin.?. 

1890 

157.400 

1765 

89 

6.6 

1900 

152.000 

1789 

85 

6.9 

1910 

86.200 

1725 

50 

15.0 

*These   figures  of  density  deduct   all    the    unpopulated    areas    such    as    parks, 
reservations  and  waterlot  areas. 


/ 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT  II 

Distribution  and  Density  of  Population.  It  will  be  well 
for  those  interested  in  the  growth  of  the  city  to  study  carefully 
the  distribution  map.  Pig'.  III.  which  represents  accurately  the 
distribution  of  population  of  the  1910  census  by  the  actual  enu- 
merating: districts.  Two  so-called  "congested  districts"  of  the  city 
are  clearly  evident  as  "Chinatown"  and  "Japtown."  The  for- 
mer has  the  greater  density,  although  by  the  splitting  of  assembly 
districts  in  1910,  the  actual  figures  of  density  do  not  appear  as 
high  as  in  Japtown  at  the  present  time.  (See  Table  III.)  Out- 
side of  these  two  districts,  those  parts  of  the  city  that  may  be  now 
reached  by  transit  lines  are  found  to  be  settled  quite  uniformly. 
As  mentioned  in  previous  reports,  the  30-minute  time  zone  prac- 
tically marks  the  limits  of  heavily  settled  districts  and  will  con- 
tinue to  do  so  even  after  more  rapid  means  of  transportation  are 
provided. 

From  this  map.  Fig.  Ill,  it  needs  no  argument  to  reach  the  rea- 
sonable conclusion  that  with  adequate  transportation  and  other 
utilities,  Richmond,  Sunset,  Merced  and  Visitacion  need  not  Ion:? 
remain  practically  unpopulated  as  at  the  present  time. 

If  the  city  be  divided  into  three  zones,  thus : 

(1)  Within  the  one-mile  circle; 

(2)  Between  one  and  three-mile  circles; 

(3)  Outside  the  three-mile  circle, 

it  is  found  that  today  only  75.000  people  live  within  the  one-mile 
circle.  98,000  outside  of  the  three-mile  circle,  with  244,000  in  the  in- 
termediate zone;  and  that  while  the  densities  of  the  inner  and  in- 
termediate zones  are  nearly  the  same,  that  of  the  outer  zone  is 
only  six  persons  per  acre,  approximately  one-sixth  of  that  within 
the  three-mile  circle,  which  to  a  certain  degree  cbrresponds  to  the 
30-minute  time  zone  previously  mentioned. 

Taking  the  IT.  S.  census  for  the  last  three  decades,  a  further 
comparison  may  be  made  on  the  basis  of  assembly  districts  (Fig. 
IV),  although  the  continually  changing  boundaries  of  these  dis- 
tricts make  a  direct  comparison  of  local  centers  difficult  as  between 
census  periods.  However,  the  census  records  are  illuminating  as 
applied  to  the  so-called  "inner  city",  shown  within  the  heavy 
boundary  lines  of  Fig.  IV  and  covering  approximately  the  dis- 
trict bounded  by  Van  Ness  Avenue  on  the  west  and  Bryant  Street 
on  the  south. 


Population, 
Inner  City. 

Area,  in  Acip.s. 
Inner  City. 

i)f 

Persons 
Inner  City. 

ns 
pe 

ity. 

ir  Acre.* 
Outlyini 

1890 

157.400 

1765 

89 

6.6 

1900 

152.000 

1789 

85 

6.9 

1910 

86.200 

1725 

50 

15.0 

♦These    figures   of   density  dediut   all    the    unpopulated   areas    sucii    as   parks, 
reseryations  and  vvaterlot.  areas. 


12 


SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM 


ERRITORIAL  GROWTH 

OF 
SAN  FRANCISCO 


:  Til  E  HOH.SOARD  OFSUI>ECT1SOIS 


FIG.  V— TERRI'TORIAL    GROWTH    OF    SAN    FRANCISCO. 

Municipal  boundaries  have  very  little  relation  to  the  broad  movements  of 
population  as  compared  witli  transit  service.  In  studying  growtli  of  transporta- 
tion it  is  therefore  necessary  to  know  whether  the  census  records  actually  oover 
the  settled  districts  tributary  to  the  various  transit  lines  of  the  city.  In  San 
Francisco  the  city  boundaries  have  generally  preceded  nettlement.  Starting  with 
the  village  Verba  Buena,  indicated  in  black,  now  entirely  within  the  business 
district,  the  city  boundaries  quickly  expanded  within  four  years  of  its  incoi-pora- 
tion  to  the  intersection  of  Divisadero  and  Twenty-second  streets;  and  only  five 
years  later,  upon  the  consolidation  of  the  City  and  County  of  San  Francisco,  to 
the  San  Mateo  County  line.  San  Francisco's  tributary  population  will  probably 
not  expand  to  any  great  extent  <U)wn  the  Peninsula  until  more  (convenient  rapid 
transit  facilities  are  provided. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT  13 

From  tliis  data,  it  is  cloar  that  as  a  result  of  the  fire,  the  inner 
city  has  very  greatly  chani^ed  in  its  character  of  settlement  and 
has  lost  about  71,000  population,  while  the  outlyino;  district  has 
increased  189,000.  This  ni'eans  that  owinc:  to  extensions  of  transit 
lines,  the  inner  city  has  been  transformed  into  a  business  district, 
and  the  former  population  has  scattered  to  the  residential  and 
suburban  areas.  This  is  as  it  should  be,  and  although  the  exten- 
sive buildino;  of  apartments  and  hotels  within  the  inner  city  will 
draw  the  great  majority  of  transients,  it  is  not  l)elieved  that  this 
movement  Avill  materially  affect  the  migration  of  the  homeseeker 
to  the  many  attractive  suburbs  available,  provided  transit  exten- 
sions keep  pace  with  this  expansion. 

Finally,  considering  the  smallest  civil  division,  it  appears  that 
the  maximum  density  of  any  district  of  San  Francisco  occurred 
in  1800 — 224  persons  per  acre  in  the  district  including  Chinatown, 
with  six  other  districts  of  the  inner  city  above  100  per  acre.  In 
1900.  the  maximum  density  was  141  per  acre,  with  only  three 
districts  above  100  per  acre.  In  1910  the  maximum  density  had 
fallen  to  70  persons  per  acre  in  Japtown.  entirely  outside  of  the 
so-called  ''inner  city.*"  This  unquestionably  indicates  the  exodus 
of  residence  population  out  of  the  business  district,  which  is  de- 
sirable and  necessary  to  the  healthy  growth  of  a  municipality. 
This  cannot  fail  to  greatly  enhance  the  necessity  for  and  earnings 
of  street  railway  properties  in  the  future  by  an  increased  riding 
habit. 

PREDICTION    OF    TRAFFIC    AND    SERVICE. 

The  final  object  of  this  analysis  of  growth  is  a  prediction  of 
future  transit  earnings,  the  necessary  equipment  and  the  cor- 
responding investment  required  to  produce  those  earnings,  thus 
making  it  possible  to  determine  beforehand  the  ability  of  the  city 
to  assume  the  burden  of  this  investment. 

Prediction  of  Earnings. 

An  analysis  of  the  relative  growth  in  earnings  of  street  rail- 
ways, and  population,  in  many  cities  of  this  countr>%  has  devel- 
oped a  clearly  defined  mathematical  law.  And  although  there  are 
some  cities  varying  considerably  from  this  general  law,  the  great 
majoritv  closely  adhere  to  it,  as  stated  below : 

That  the  total  annual  railwa.v  earnings  increase  ap- 
proximately as  the  square  of  the  increase  in  population  ; 
that  is,  by  the  time  the  population  doubles,  transit  earn- 
ings will  have  increased  four-fold.  Or  in  other  words, 
the  earnings  p(r  capita  will  increase  approximately  in 
direct  proportion  to  the  increase  in  population. 


*Kven  these  maxi'.num  densities  in  San  Francisco  are  small  rompared  with  other 
cities,  siuli  as  the  lower  East  Side,  New  York,  which  exceeds  1,200  per  acre.  . 


14  SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM 

This  i-clatioii  may  host  be  shown  o^raphically  as  in  Fiy.  VIT. 
whert'in  arc  sliown  the  results  of  four  decades  of  development  in 
San  Francisco,  tofjether  with  a  prediction  for  four  decades  into 
the  future.  Barrino-  the  erratic  development  in  the  last  decade, 
especially  1905-1908,  the  averaii'es  for  the  period  are  instructive. 
While  the  rate  of  growth  in  earninqs  from  1900-1903  considerably 
exceeded  the  average,  due  to  delayed  increase  in  population,  and 
on  the  other  hand  the  reverse  condition  appears  from  1908  to  1911. 
it  is  safe  to  sa.y  that  San  Francisco  at  least  approximates  if  not 
exceeds  the  law  aliove  stated,  and  will  continue  to  preserve  that 
relation  for  at  least  the  remainder  of  the  present  decade — i.  e., 
to  1920. 

By  way  of  illustration,  the  following'  figures  would  result  if 
the  law^  of  the  squares  Avas  applied  to  the  present  San  Francisco 
for  several  consecutive  decades  before  and  after  the  present  time : 

i.Aw  OF  THro   squarf:s. 

Population.  Per  Capita.  Rarnings. 

200,000  $  8.75  $  1,750,000 

400,000  17.50  7,000.000 

800.000  35.00  28.000,000 

However,  it  must  be  recognized  that  in  San  Francisco,  owing 
to  its  limited  ability  to  grow  within  its  present  boundaries,  there 
will  come  a  time  when  a  "saturation  point"  will  be  reached  in  the 
possibilities  of  adequate  service  from  surface  line  extensions  within 
the  city  limits  and  a  decline  in  growth  of  total  traffic  and  earnings 
must  then  set  in,  unless  rapid  transit  facilities  are  undertaken  so 
as  to  properly  serve  the  outlyinq'  districts  undergoing  development. 
Therefore,  in  this  prediction.  Fig.  VII,  the  index  of  growth  has 
been  progressively  decreased  b.v  decades  from  2.0  at  the  present 
time  to  1.5  in  1950.  This  is  done  with  the  full  knowledge  that  rapid 
transit  facilities  must  come  sooner  or  later,  which  alone  will  re- 
vive the  total  earning  power  of  the  system,  as  has  been  the  ease  of 
other  cities.  This  estimate.  Fig.  VII,  may  then  be  regarded  more 
as  an  index  of  surface  railway  operations,  although  possibly  in- 
eluding  some  rapid  transit  development. 


Footnote;  Explanation  of  Graphical  Analysis.  Tliis  study,  Fis".  VII.  cliffer.s  from 
the  ordinary  metliod  in  tliat  tiie  relation  l^elween  tlie  two  varialjles — earnings  and 
population— is  plotted  on  losrarithmic  c".o.=s-KPctinn  paper  instead  of  tlie  usual 
rectilinear  section  paper.  Tliere  is  this  difference:  Assuming-  that  earnings 
increase  as  the  square  of  the  increase  in  population,  tliis  relation  on  linear  section 
paper  would  show  a  rapidly  ascending  curve  of  earnings;  but  on  logarithmic 
section  paper  the  curve  becomes  a  straight  line,  with  a  slope  of  two  to  one.  And 
any  other  relation  between  two  variables  tliat  plots  out  with  a  slope  of  two  to 
one  may  be  recognized  at  once  a.s  conforming  to  this  law  of  the  squares.  Simi- 
larly a  relation  with  a  slope  of  three  to  one  conforms  to  the  cube.  ?Tence.  on 
logarithmic  paper  it  is  only  necessary  to  focus  attention  on  the  slope  of  the  line 
to  determine  accurately  the  mathematical  law:  and  anv  line  parallel  to  the  guide 
line  shown  on  Fig.  VII — i.  o.,  having  the  same  slope — follows  the  law  that  doub- 
ling the  population  quadruples  the  earnings.  Although  it  is  to  some  e.xtent  unsafe 
to  applv  a  law  rigidly  so  far  into  the  future  that  a  complete  revolution  in  transit 
methods  might  occur,  it  is  at  least  safe  to  follow  this  law  for  a  decade  hence. 
The  fact  that  the  law  of  the  squares  has  been  approximated  in  the  past  with 
four  different  '.nethods  of  motive  p.>v.-v  indicates  tlie  reasonableness  of  this  con- 
clusion. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT 


15 


100 


1 00.000 


looopoo 


FIG.  VII— ANALYSIS    OF    MATHEMATICAL    LAW    OF    GROWTH. 

L^pon  this  law  rests  the  future  of  the  city  in  respect  to  transit  earnings  and 
•  investment  in  the  necessary  railway  properties.  It  answers  the  question,  How 
fast  will  earning-s  and  investment  grow  with  reference  to  the  population?  San 
Fi-ancisco  has  exceeded  many  other  cities  in  the  past,  with  earnings  gi-owing 
faster  than  the  scjuare  of  the  population;  and  valuation  of  property  somewhat 
'below  this  late.  This  means  that  when  the  population  doubles,  property  valua- 
■  tion  more  than  triples,  and  earnings  (luadruple.  The  broken  guide  line  indicates 
the  square  relation.  A  line  parallel  thereto  conforms  to  tliis  law.  For  the  distant 
•future  tlie  rate  of  earnings  has  been  conservatively  decreased,  as  this  study 
refers  lai'gely  to  surface  transpoi-tation,  and  not  including  expensive  rapid  transit 
projects. 


16  SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM 

On  this  modified  basis  the  predicted  earnings  then  stand  as  fol- 
lows, with  the  approximate  traffic  resulting  therefrom,  which  may 
be  taken  for  this  purpose  on  a  basis  of  a  flat  5-cent  fare: 


PREDICTIOX- 

-MODIFIED 

LAW    OF    THE 

SQUARES. 

Population. 

Earningfs 
per  Capita. 

Earnin.e;.s 
per  Year. 

Revenue 

Passeng'ers 

pel  Year. 

Total 
Passengers 
per  Year.* 

Approx- 
imate, 
Year. 

200,000 
400.000 
800.000 

$  S.75 

iT.r.o 
ai.25 

$  1, 7.50, 000 

7,000,000 

25,000,000 

.•{5.000.000 
140,000.000 
500,000,000 

52.500,000 
210.000.000 
750.000.000 

1876 
1909 
1934 

*Assu-.nlns:  50'/{    transfeiis. 

Increase  in  Equipment. 

It  has  been  impossible  to  obtain  complete  official  records  of 
equipment  prior  to  the  fire,  as  accurate  utility  records  were  not 
then  compulsory.  While  the  records  here  presented  do  not  en- 
tirely agree  with  recent  official  data,  they  will  suffice  to  illustrate 
in  a  general  way  the  development  in  this  city. 

Track  Mileage.  The  record  of  total  track  construction,  Fig. 
VIII,  indicates  a  uniform  growth  from  1868  to  1889  of  about  six 
miles  per  year,  then  an  extremely  rapid  increase  from  1889  to 
1896  of  16  miles  per  year,  during  which  period  the  Market  street 
consolidation  took  place.  No  further  increase  is  recorded  up  to 
1902,  when  rapid  building  again  eu.sued  until  stopped  by  the  great 
fire  of  1906.  Since  the  fire,  extensions  have  about  offset  abandon- 
ments, so  that  the  total  track  has  remained  practically  constant. 
Summarizing,  an  average  of  8.1  miles  per  year  was  maintained 
from  1868  up  to  the  time  of  the  INIarket  street  consolidation,  and 
since  then  only  al)0ut  3.6  miles  per  year.  Thus,  the  last  15  years  of 
growth  has  been  slower  than  any  previous  considerable  period  of  time 
in  the  history  of  the  city,  even  during  the  original  horse  ear  days. 
Whatever  the  cause,  this  can  only  be  interpreted  as  a  retrench- 
ment of  that  natural  growth  essential  to  the  welfare  of  the  city 
which  finds  its  logical  result  in  the  present  necessity  for  a  very 
large  increase  in  mileage  to  compensate  for  the  delayed  expansion. 

Analyzing  this  growth  with  reference  to  population,  it  appears 
that  the  track  mileage  increased  faster  than  the  population  from 
1860  up  to  1896.  since  when  it  has  fallen  behind.  It  is  not  an  un- 
reasonable conclusion  that  if  transportation  companies  found  it 
possible,  up  to  the  time  of  consolidation  of  the  properties,  to  ex- 
tend their  lines  at  a  miuch  faster  rate,  than  the  population,  that  a 
rate  at  least  proportional  to  the  increase  in  population  can  now  ])e 
maintained  until  such  time  as  surface  extensions  have  reached 
their  limit.  According  to  this  basis  of  normal  increase,  a  total 
of  100  miles  would  be  required  for  the  next  decade. 

But  this  assumes  that  the  present  trackage  is  adequate,  whicli 
is  not  the  case.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  extension  schedule  is  from 
6  to  9  years  behind.     And  moreover,  to   carry  out  the  program 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT 


17 


BION  J.  ARNOLD 

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FIG.  VIII— RECORD    OF 


I860 


GROWTH    OF    TR 
CISCO 


1690  1900  esio 

ACK    MILEAGE    IX    SAX    FRAX- 


Tliis  record  shows  three  decades  of  normal  and  continuous  growth,  followed 
by  a  period  of  extremely  rapid  growth  with  the  introduction  of  electric  traction. 
But  since  the  consolidation  of  the  Market  Street  system  the  growth  has  been 
erratic  and  on  the  average  comparatively  slow.  The  almost  complete  revolution 
in  the  metliod  of  railway  propidsion  is  clearly  shown  for  the  last  two  decades. 
Data  prior  to  the  fire  may  be  subject  to  slight  error,  but  are  sufficiently  accurate 
for  indicating  general  tendencies. 


18 


SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM 


■  ION  J.  ARNOLD 

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I90I 


I906 


1911 


FIG.   IX— RECORD    OF    GROWTH    IN    CAR     EQUIPMENT. 

Based  upon  eciulpment  reported  as  owned  prior  to  the  flre,  this  record  pi-ob- 
ably  does  not  represent  cars  actually  operated.  The  enormous  decrease  in  equip- 
ment is  due  to  the  retirement  of  several  hundred  cable  cars,  either  worn  out  or 
obsolete,  by  rea.son  of  the  change  in  motive  power.  Since  the  fire  the  record 
covers,  in  general,  only  cars  available  for  service.  The  average  seating  capacity 
per  car  probably  increased  during  thi.<!  change  from  30  seats  to  42  seats,  or  40 
per  cent. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT  19 

of  extensions  that  are  definitely  needed  as  detailed  in  Report  No. 
10,  120  miles  of  new  track  will  be  required,  probably  by  1920,  the 
construction  of  which  would  call  for  an  averaf^e  rate  of  about  15 
miles  per  year,  which  is  less  than  has  previously  occurred  in  San 
Francisco. 

Car  Equipment.  The  iirapliical  record  of  car  equipment.  Fig. 
IX.  shows  a  iii-adual  rei)hieemlent  of  horse  and  cable  ears  by  elec- 
tric equipment  since  1895.  It  also  indicates  that  the  total  number 
of  sino'le  ears  used  in  San  Francisco  today  is  practically  the  same 
as  in  1889,  prior  to  the  establishment  of  electric  service,  and  only 

about  htdf  the  total  number  reported  in  1896.  This  record,  hov/- 
ever,  is  probably  based  on  total  cars  owned,  as  reported  by  the 
companies  in  the  available  statistical  records.  Furthermore,  the 
present  cars  are  much  larger,  and  a  uniform  definition  of  car 
unit  Avas  not  in  all  cases  used.  The  records  prior  to  the  fire  must 
therefore  be  interpreted  with  caution,  and  probably  include  much 
equipment  either  obsolete  or  retained  for  emergency  service  only. 
The  present  equipment  as  now  reported  does  not  any  longer  include 
the  large  number  of  obsolete  cable  and  horse  cars  that  are  still  in 
evidence  at  some  of  the  old  car  houses  in  various  parts  of  the  city. 

From  the  curve  it  is  apparent  that  several  hundred  of  these  cars 
Avere  retired  at  the  time  of  the  fire,  and  from  actual  observations 
the  entire  system  is  now  being  reported  practically  upon  a  basis  of 
operative  cars. 

An  eifort  was  made  to  determine  this  gain  or  loss  in  equipment 
from  the  official  records  of  operating  car  units  upon  Avhich  license 
taxes  were  paid  to  the  City.  Prior  to  1898  the  records  appear  en- 
tirely undependable.  The  disparity  between  total  equipment  re- 
ported and  operating  cars  is  great.  Thus,  out  of  a  total  of  1146 
cars  in  1898,  taxes  Avere  paid  on  only  600  equipments.  After  the 
fire,  hoAvever,  taxes  haA^e  been  paid  on  a  greater  proportion  of  the 
total  equipment — at  the  present  time,  on  88%  of  the  total. 

The  principal  point  of  interest  in  this  exhibit  is  a  net  change  in 
seating  capacity  from  1905  to  the  present  time.  The  official  public 
statements  (for  taxable  purposes)  of  all  ear  equipment,  Table  VII, 
shoAved  921  United  Railroads  cars  in  1905  and  669  in  1911.  Counts 
in  1912  indicated  661  for  the  United  Railroads  .system.  These  old 
cars  probably  contained  28  to  34  seats  each:  an  average  of  30  seats 
miay  be  assumed.  Traffic  counts  during  1912  shoAved  607  United 
Railroads  cars  in  operation;  these  average  al)Out  42  seats  each.  In 
other  Avords,  Avith  about  the  same  estimated  i">opulation.  the  seating 
capacity  is  noAV  practically  the  same  as  before  the  fire. 

But  in  this  period  66,000  residents,  nearly  one-half  of  the  popu- 
lation of  the  "inner  city"  or  Avalking  district,  moved  to  other  parts 
of  the  city,  thus  becoming  dependent  upon  car  service.  This  addi- 
tional traffic  represents  15%  of  the  population  of  the  entire  city. 


20  SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM 

On  the  other  hand,  the  United  Railroads  system  has  increased  in 
schedule  speed  within  the  same  period  12'/^ .  with  a  correspondin<r 
increase  in  service  capacity  for  the  samo  equipment.  Whether  the 
service  has  fully  recovered  since  the  fire  is  therefore  a  question. 
In  any  event,  it  is  clear  that  the  present  e(piipment  is  far  short  of 
the  requirements  of  service  hrouiiht  ahout  by  the  g-eneral  o:rowth 
of  the  city,  as  determined  by  actual  counts  (Report  No.  11). 

It  now  remains  to  estimate,  for  the  entire  traction  system,  the 
proper  rate  of  increase  in  car  equipment  and  car  mileao'e  for  the 
future.    This  may  be  approximated  by  several  methods,  as  follows : 

*].     Assuming  a  uniform  density  in  cars  ])er  mile  of  track, 
and  increasino-  in  proportion  to  track  mileage. 

2.  Assuming-  a  fixed  income  per  car  year,  and  thus  increasing 

in  proportion  to  the  gross  earnings. 

3.  Assumdng  a  fixed  operating  ratio,  expenses  per  car  mile, 

and  car  mileage  per  car  .vear,  and  increasing  in  propor- 
tion to  the  gross  earnings. 

The  total  operative  equipment  for  all  companies  for  1911  was 
676  cars ;  or  adding  thereto  the  65  new  cars  now  on  order,  741  cars, 
upon  which  predictions  may  be  based. 

Thus  it  appears  that  on  the  present  operating  liasis.  39  to  53 
ears  per  year  should  be  added  to  the  entire  system.  That  this 
latter  rate  is  entirel.v  practicable  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  Avould 
permit- earnings  of  about  10  per  cent  on  the  investment,  assuming 
$3.50  invested  for  each  $1.00  of  earnings. 

The  only  way  in  which  this  car  purchase  schedule  can  l)e  re- 
duced for  the  same  service  is  that  proportionate  economies  in 
operating  car  mileage  be  introduced  by  means  of  increased  speed 
and  effective  re-routing  of  present  lines. 

Purchasing  Power  of  the  City. 

The  tax  assessment  roll  may  be  taken  as  a  measure  of  the  pur- 
chasing power  of  the  City  in  the  construction  or  acquisition  of 
great  public  works.  At  the  present  time,  the  ])ond  limit  is  fixed  at 
15%  of  the  assessment,  with  only  about  $51,000,000  available  for 
all  utility  purposes,  by  reason  of  the  failure  of  the  electors  to  per- 
mit the  City  to  bond  itself  outside  of  the  present  debt  limit  for 
revenue-producing    ntilitics,    such    as   water    and   street    railways. 


*Pir.st^The  cai-  density  resulting  from  a  total  of  741  cars  averag-e.s  for  1911 
2.52  cars  per  mile  of  track.  For  a  total  trackage  in  IDl'O  of  414  miles  there  will  be 
re<| Hired  l,04o  operating-  cars,  or  adding  5%  for  reserve  and  repair,  a  total  of 
1,01)5  cars,  ef|ui\-alent  to  39  cars  added  per  year.  This  represents  a  minimum,  as 
the  car  density  in  San  Francisco  is  low. 

Second — The  aA-erage  income  in  1911  for  741  cars  was  $11,600,  which  is  much 
higher  than  in  otlier  cities.  For  gross  earnings  in  1920  of  $13,100,000,  a  total  of 
1,1 7fi  car.s  would  be  required,  or  48  per  year. 

'J-hird — Taking  the  present  operating  raitio,  including  ta.xes.  of  65%,  an  oper- 
ating expen.se  of  20  events  per  car  mile,  and  the  present  xearlv  mileage  per  car  of 
36,700  miles,  the  estimated  earnings  for  1:»20  of  $13,100.(10(1  will  require  a  total  of 
1,218  cars,  or  53  per  year. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT  21 

There  will  thus  be  available  for  future  acquisition  of  such  proper- 
ties an  annual  amount  proportionate  only  to  the  rate  of  increase 
in  total  property  valuation. 

Analyziup:  the  past  prrowth  graphically  (Fio-.  VII),  it  is  found 
that  in  San  Francisco  the  value  of  real  estate  and  improvements 
has  increased  since  1873  at  a  rate  proportioual  to  the  1.7  power 
of  the  increase  in  population — that  is.  nearly  as  the  2.0  power  or 
square  as  above  referred  to  in  discussing  growth  of  earninjGrs.  This 
rate  exceeds  that  of  most  of  the  older  cities  of  the  East.  However, 
it  appears  that  the  personal  property  valuation  has  increased  less 
rapidly  than  the  realty,  with  the  result  that  an  average  index  of 
growth  of  only  1.5  power  has  been  maintained  in  the  past  upon 
which  the  bond  limit  is  computed.  For  the  future,  it  is  believed 
that  the  realty  values  Avill  control,  and  consequently  the  total  assess- 
ment I'oll  has  been  predicted  upon  the  index  basis  of  1.7  power. 
From  these  totals  must  be  deducted  operative  property  that  is  now 
exempt  from  City  taxation  through  recent  changes  in  the  State 
tax  laws. 

Investment  Necessary.  The  final  deductions  from  the  fore- 
going analysis  are  fraught  with  the  greatest  importance,  not  only 
to  San  Francisco,  but  to  every  municipality  contemplating  exclu- 
sive municipal  ownership.  In  the  proper  expansion  of  a  utility 
system,  a  definite  ratio  between  investment  and  earnings  must 
exist ;  for  example,  in  street  railways  from  three  to  four  dollars 
of  capital  must  be  invested  under  modem  conditions  of  operation 
and  with  a  flat  five-cent  fare,  to  produce  a  standard  property  and 
equipment.  The  future  earning  capacity  has  already  been  de- 
termined. By  appl.ying  this  ratio,  the  total  investment  necessary 
results,  with  which  may  then  be  compared  the  purchasing  power 
of  the  Cit.v  under  the  present  basis  of  assessment  and  taxation. 
The  actual  figures  are  given  below: 

FIXAN'CIAL    SUMMARY    OF    FUTT-RE    GROV^'TH. 

Year 1912         1920         1930         1940         1950 

Population  (thousands) 443  558  722  909        1,121 

Street  railway  earnings  (millions)         8.4  13  21  30  41 

Total  assessed  valuation  for  city 

and  county   (millions) 511  750        1,160        1,710        2,420 

Investment  in  street  railway  prop- 
erty of  $3  to  $1  earned  (min- 
imum)   (millions) 25  39  62  90  123 

Bond    limit    (15%    of    valuation) 

(millions) 77  113  174  257  363 

Per  cent  of  present  bond  limit 
necessary  for  railway  invest- 
ment        33  34.8  35.9  35.1  33.9 

This  table  shows  that  an  average  investment  of  at  least  -1^1.- 
750,000  per  year  will  be  required  to  1920.     Comparing  therewilli 


22  SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM 

the  miiiiinuin  investment  rate  called  for  in  this  report,  it  is  found 
that  15  miles  of  track  and  50  new  cars  per  year  will  leave  a  sub- 
stantial proportion  of  the  annual  budsret  available  for  betterments 
of  existing  property — probably  25'/r,  or  $450,000  per  year.  This 
shows  the  reasonable  nature  of  the  extension  schedule  called  for. 
Tlie  assumption  of  an  investment  ratio  as  low  as  $3.00  per 
$1.00  earned  must  be  clearly  stated  as  applying  only  to  a  system 
which  is  pro])erly  expfinded  year  by  year  in  proportion  to  the 
growth  in  population,  and  the  above  table  shoM's  probably  the 
mininnim  investment  necessary  to  develop  such  a  system.  If  rapid 
transit  undertakings  in  any  form  should  be  carried  out  during 
the  intervening  period,  a  considerably  higher  investment  ratio 
would  result,  somewhat  according  to  the  following  plan : 

Rapid  transit  subways $6.00  to  $8.00 

Electrified  steam  lines 4.00  to     6.00 

Street   railways    3.00  to     4.00 

Nor  is  it  correct  to  even  assume  that  the  United  Railroads  in- 
vestment will  continue  along  this  curve  so  long  as  a  practical 
monopoly  in  San  Francisco  is  maintained ;  for  unless  an  agree- 
ment can  be  reached  between  the  City  and  the  Company  providing 
for  normal  development  and  extensions,  it  is  entirely  possible  that 
the  United  Railroads  will  be  content  with  earning  out  of  the  present 
system  all  that  is  possible  up  to  the  termination  of  its  franchises. 
As  the  City  has  no  power  to  compel  extensions,  the  traffic  density 
will  continually  increase  and  the  proportionate  net  earnings  like- 
wise. 

In  Report  No.  13,  it  was  emphasized  clearly  that  unless  some 
revision  was  made  in  the  basis  of  the  bond  limit  for  the  purposes 
of  investment  in  municipal  utilities,  the  City  could  never  hope  to 
either  acquire  nor  much  less  construct  a  complete  transit  property 
of  the  character  necessary  to  meet  its  great  future.  The  above 
table  shows  that  over  one-third  of  the  total  bonding  capacity  on 
the  present  basis  would  be  continually  pre-empted  for  railway  in- 
vestment alone,  assuming  the  city  entirely  free  from  debt. 

It  is  necessary  to  state  plainly  that  these  conclusions  cannot 
be  evaded.  The  investment  must  be  made  if  the  transit  facilities 
of  San  Francisco  are  to  advance  in  proportion  to  its  needs,  and  it 
was  for  this  reason  that  the  provisions  of  Charter  Amendment  No. 
34  were  so  drawn  as  to  permit  private  capital  to  assist  nuuiieipal 
development  until  such  time  as  the  City  could  take  over  its  utilities 
upon  an  adequate  bonding  basis  as  in  the  case  of  Ncav  York  City 
in  its  latest  subway  acquisitions. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT 


23 


APPENDIX. 


EXHIBITS    ACCOMPANYING   REPORT. 


Table 


Table 

II, 

Table 

III. 

Table 

IV. 

Table 

V. 

Table 

VI. 

Table 

VII. 

Table 

VIII. 

Growth  in  population.  San  Francisco  and  commuter 
district  compared  with  other  Coast  cities. 

Growth  of  commuter  district  since  1860. 

Density  by  assembly  districts  since  1890. 

Growth  of  manufactures,  San  Francisco  industrial 
district. 

Predicted  future  population  and  earnings. 

Prediction  of  service  requirements,  1920. 

Record  of  growth  in  car  equipment. 

'Record  of  growth  in  track  mileage. 


Figure  I.  Predicted  growth  of  San  Francisco  to  1950 — Front- 
ispiece. 

Figure       II.     Analysis  of  rate  of  growth,  other  cities. 

Figure  III.  Distribution  of  population.  1910.  with  reference  to 
topography  and  transit  lines. 

Figure  IV.  Growth  and  density  by  assembly  districts,  1890, 
1900,  1910. 

Figure       V.     Territorial  expansion  of  San  Francisco  since  1850. 

Figure     VI.     Evidences  of  commercial  growth  of  San  Francisco. 

Figure  VII.  Analysis  of  law  of  growth  with  reference  to  earnings 
and  purchasing  powder. 

Figure  VIII.     Record  of  growth  in  track  mileage. 

Figure     IX.     Record  of  growth  in  car  equipment. 

Figure  X.  Transportation  map  of  San  Francisco  district,  show- 
ing relative  size  and  growth  of  tributary  com- 
munities. 


24 


SAN  FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM 


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FIG.    VI— EVIDENCES    OF    COMMERCIAL    GROWTH    OF    SAN    FRANCISCO. 

To  plan  consistently  for  the  future,  a  knowledge  of  the  past  is  essential  in 
order  that  erratic  growth  may  not  lead  to  false  conclusions.  This  study  presents 
the  most  important  indices  of  the  underlying-  commercial  strength  of  the  com- 
m^unity,  which  alone  determines  the  future  of  the  city,  both  in  population  and 
resulting  transit  development.  In  spite  of  the  depressions  of  1906  and  190S.  San 
Francisco  is  again  moving  forward  at  a  satisfactory  rate. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT  25 


Commercial  Grow^th. 

Incidental  to  this  stndy.  the  o-raphic  record  of  commercial 
grrowth.  Fip-.  VI,  has  an  important  hearinc:,  as  follows: 

Population  by  census  years,  bank  clearing,  assessed  valuation 
of  property,  real  estate  assessed,  real  estate  sales,  building  opera- 
tions, telephone  calls,  post  office  receipts. 

Property  valuation  reflects  the  fundamental  underlyinj?  wealth 
of  the  conmiunity,  bank  clearings  measure  its  major  financial 
operations,  and  post  office  receipts  oflfer  a  fair  indication  of  the 
general  prosperity  of  the  average  citizen. 

A  general  review  of  these  records  shows  a  period  of  great 
activity  in  San  Francisco  from  1900  up  to  the  depression  of  1906. 
But  by  1910,  the  city  had  practically  recovered,  and  is  now  pro- 
gressing at  an  encouraging  rate. 

Bank  Clearings  have  maintained  a  normal  increase  since  1896, 
and  are  now  47  per  cent  above  1905.  It  is  a  significant  fact 
that  although  bank  clearings  suffered  a  temporary  check  during  a 
fcAV  months  after  the  fire,  the  total  clearings  for  the  year  1906 
actually  increased  at  a  normal  rate  and  were  only  checked  by  the 
wide-spread  financial  depression  of  1907-8.  since  when  the  previous 
rapid  increase  has  taken  place. 

Property  Valuation  remained  fairl>'  constant  up  to  about 
1888  (with  the  exception  of  a  temporary  increase  in  1880)  and 
has  since  increased  at  a  normal  rate  up  to  1905.  Since  the  fire 
the  valuation  has  increased  at  about  the  same  rate  as  before  the 
fire.  Fig.  VI  indicates  the  relative  amount  of  operative  property 
exempt  from  city  taxation. 

Real  Estate  Value,  as  assessed  exclusive  of  improvements, 
shows  that  the  fundamental  basis  of  land  is  barely  as  high  as  be- 
fore the  fire,  and  that  the  assessment  is  hardly  keeping  pace  with 
the  total  property  assessment  upon  which  the  purchasing  power  of 
the  City  is  based. 

Real  Estate  Sales  show  a  sudden  increase  from  1900  to  1905 
with  the  exception  of  two  intervening  years.  Since  the  fire,  prog- 
ress has  been  slow,  but  the  last  year  indicates  a  renewed  growth. 

BuilclitHj  Operations  followed  a  normal  growth  from  1898  to 
1905.  Naturally  the  tremendous  building  activity  resulting  from 
the  fire  could  not  be  maintained.  Since  1910,  however,  building 
operations  have  again  gone  forward  at  a  normal  rate. 

Telephone  Calls  are  increasing  at  a  consistent  rate,  having 
practically  doubled  since  the  fire. 


26  SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM 

Fostoffivc  Rcccipis  sliow  the  most  uniform  and  healthy  growth, 
with  only  eomparativel.N'  small  depression  as  a  result  of  the  fire,  and 
have  more  than  douhled  in  the  last  decade. 

Mann  far  lures.  Finally,  an  examination  of  the  Census  reports 
of  the  operation  of  the  industrial  district  of  San  Francisco  before 
and  after  the  tire  indicates  some  .startling  facts,  detailed  in 
Tal)le  IV.  Comparino-  the  three  years  1900,  1905,  and  1910.  it 
is  found  that  both  the  number  of  factories  and  persons  employed 
were  less  in  lOlO  than  the  year  before  the  fire,  although  the  value 
of  products  had  slightly  increased.  On  the  other  hand,  a  very  rapid 
increase  in  manufactures  had  taken  place  during  the  five  years 
preceding  the  fire.  Furthermore,  it  appears  that  what  San  Fran- 
cisco has  lost  as  a  result  of  the  fire  has  been  a  direct  gain  to  the 
Bay  cities  of  the  industrial  district.  If  these  records  are  analyzed 
on  a  per  capita  basis,  it  appears  that  while  the  percentage  of  popu- 
lation employed  in  San  Francisco  in  manufactures  has  decreased 
by  nearly  one-fifth,  that  of  the  Bay  cities  has  increased  by  about 
the  same  amount,  but  also  that  the  per  cent  employed  for  the  entire 
industrial  district  was  lower  in  1910  than  in  1905  or  1900.  The 
total  value  of  products  per  capita  has  also  decreased.  This  record 
clearly  indicates  the  serious  fact  that  up  to  1910  manufacturing 
has  not  kept  pace  with  the  growth  in  population,  and  that  the 
industrial  district  must  become  more  united  in  developing  the  man- 
ufacturing facilities  which  the  Bay  shores  afPord.  This  furnishes 
an  additional  argument  for  the  establishment  of  a  Metropolitan 
District  Control  in  such  matters  of  common  interest  as  utilities 
and  industries. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT 


27 


TABLE  I— CO^IPARATIVE  GROWTH  IX  POPULATION 

COAST  CITIES. 


OF 


1910.  1900.                          1890.                       1880. 

Popula-  %  In-  Popula-  %  In-  I'opnla-     %  I"-       Popula-  %  lu- 

tioii.  crease.  tiou.  crease.        tion.       crease.         tion.     crease, 

SAX  FRAXCISCO..    416.912  21.6  342.782  14.6  298.997       27. S       233,959       56.5 
San    Francisco    .iiTcl 

traction    district.    728,000  56.2  458,000  12.0  409.000 

Los  Angeles 319,198  211.5  102,479  103.4  50.395     350.0         11.183 

Seattle 237,194  194.0  80,671  88.3  42  837  1,113.0           3,533 

Portland 207.214  129.2  90,426  94.9  46"385     264.0         17.577 

Oakland 150.174  124.3  66.960  37.5  48.6'82       40.9         34,555 

Taconia 83,743  122.0  37.714  4.7  36.006 

Does  not  account  for  area  annexed  during  aboA-e  periods. 
Authority:    V.  S.  Census. 


194.5 

68.6 

212.0 

329.0 


1900. 

1890. 

1880. 

1870. 

1860. 

342.782 
16,464 

298.997 
11.165 

233,959 
5,708 

149,473 
1,557 

56.802 
460 

434 

2,751 

13.214 

2,361 
5,101 

1,794 

1.016 
1,965 

228 
1,419 

1,231 

504 

1,380 


1,600 


66.960 

4^,682 

34,555 

10,500 

1.658 

634 

1.653 

1,572 

1,383 

727 

21.500 

18,060 

12,567 

9  089 

2.253 

1,369 

426 

1.832 

3.879 

3,290 

2.276 

841 

3.650 

2.891 

1,628 

1,334 

7,965 


6.343 


.987 


1,543 


TABLE    II— GROWTH    OF    SAX    FRAXCISCO    CO:\DIUTER 
DISTRICT  BY  DECADES. 

1910. 

SAX   FRANCISCO 416,912 

Alameda 23.383 

Albany 808 

Belvedere 481 

Benicia 2,360 

Berkeley 40,434 

Burling'anie 1,565 

Emeryville 2,613 

Haywards 2.746 

Larkspur 594 

Martinez 2.115 

Ma^^eld 1.041 

Mill  Valley 2.551 

Oakland 150.174 

Palo  Alto 4.486 

Piedmont 1.719 

Redwood   Citv 2.442 

Richmond 6.802 

Ross  Valley 556 

San  Anselmo 1,531 

San  Jose 28,946 

San   Leandro 3,471 

San   Mateo 4.384 

San  Rafael 5.934 

Santa  Clara 4.348 

Sausalito 2.383 

South  San  Francisco.  .  1.989 

Vallejo 11.340 

Unincorporated  places. 

estimated      at      200 

each 2.000 

Total 730.108 

Per  cent  increase 48.0 

Commuter  district  only  313.196 

Per  cent  increase 108.7 

Authority:    U.  S.  Census. 


492,984 

403,677 

300,829 

173.117 

58,805 

22.3 

34.4 

73.3 

194.5 

150,202 

104.680 

66,870 

23  644 

2.003 

43.6 

56.4 

183.0 

1,080 

TABLE    111— DENSITY    OF    I'Oi'LLATION   BY   ASSEMBLY 

DISTRICTS,  1890-1910. 

1890. 

Asseiii'lilv  Distiut.  Population.           Density  per  Acre. 

29 7,211  34.6 

:]0 9,932  108.0 

31 26,838  224.0 

32 16,588  120.0 

33 13,448  76.4 

34....; 12,229  37.1 

35 9,748  114.3 

36 9.081  96.0 

37 11,890  142.0 

nS 12,424  109.3 

39 13,149  109.7 

40 14,967  73.8 

41 *15,253  9.6 

42 20,975  13.7 

43 15,882  16.8 

44 22,046  12.3 

45 14,200  20.2 

46 11,593  20.6 

47 18,386  3.3 

48 20,157  2.7 

Presidio     (estimated)  . . .  3,000  2.3 
*L,ess  Presidio,  .3.000  (estimated). 

1900. 

Assemiblv  District.  Population.           Density  per  Acre. 

28 " 15,731  64.1 

29 15,299  125.0 

30 15.347  127.0 

31 15,871  92.0 

32 14,037  13.7 

33 18,758  6.3 

34 21,841  58.0 

35 17,647  6.1 

3G 27,836  3.7 

37 23,923  18.7 

38 19,977  21.2 

39 19,905  89.7 

40 22,472  15.3 

41 *21,235  14.8 

42 15.472  89.0 

43 23,003  140.5 

44 18.631  63.3 

45 12,797  46.8 

Presidio  (estimated) 3,000  2.3 

*Less  Presidio,  3.000  (estimated). 

1910. 

Assembly  District.  Population.           Density  per  Acre. 

28 .■ 11,373  42.2 

29 5,537  34.8 

30 7.558  36.8 

31 18,787  16.4 

32 31,879  10.8 

33 44,688  8.2 

34 36,970  34.3 

35 22,388  57.3 

36        12,844  40.5 

37 35,250  69.7 

38 27,92.5  68.5 

39              *4S,210  5.6 

40                23,075  G8.0 

41              25,372  26.8 

42              8.810  39.0 

43              9,379  47.5 

44              21.307  66.0 

45 22,206  64.6 

Presidio  (estimated)  ....  3,354  2.6 

*Lress  Presidio,  ,",354. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT 


29 


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30 


SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION    PROBLEM 


TABLE  V— PREDICTION  OF  POPULATION  AND  STREET 
RAILWAY  EARNINGS. 

(U.  R.  R.  System.) 

Year.  Population.    Earnings  per  Capita.       Earninss. 

1910 417,000  $18.35  $  7,653,489 

1911 430,000  18.35*  7,886,136 

1912 443,000  18.96  8,400,000 

1913 457,000  19.53  8,930,000 

1914 471,000  20.11  9,480,000 

1915 485,000  20.51  9,950,000 

1916 499.000  21.11  10.530,000 

1917 513,000  21.70  11,130,000 

1918 528,000  22.26  11,750,000 

1919 543,000  22.84  12,400,000 

1920 558.000  23.48  13,100,000 

1921 574,000  23.96  13,750,000 

1922 589.000  24.60  14,480,000 

1923 605,000  25.12  15,200,000 

1924 621.000  25.63  15,920,000 

1925 637,000  26.18  16,670,000 

1926 654,000  26.66  17,440,000 

1927 670,000  27.21  18,230,000 

1928 : . 687,000  27.67  19,000,000 

1929 705,000  28.22  19,900,000 

1930 722,000  28.80  20,800,000 

1931 739.000  29.38  21,700,000 

1932 757,000  29.86  22,600,000 

1933 776,000  30.29  23,500,000 

1934 794,000  30.72  24,400,000 

1935 813,000  31.12  25,300.000 

1936 831,000  31.52  26,200,000 

1937 850,000  31.90  27.100,000 

1938 870,000  32.20  28.000,000 

1939 889.000  32.63  29,000,000 

1940 909,000  33.00  30,000,000 

1941 929,000  33.38  31,000,000 

1942 950,000  33.80  32,100,000 

1943 970.000  34.23  33,200,000 

1944 991,000  34.61  34,300,000 

1945 1,012,000  34.99  35,400,000 

1946 1,033,000  35.31  36,500,000 

1947 1,055,000  35.61  37,600,000 

1948 1,077,000  35.92  38,700.000 

1949 1,099,000  36.21  39,800,000 

1950 1,121,000  36.57  41,000.000 

♦Earnings  per  capita,  all  companies,  $20.00. 


GROWTH    OF    CITY    AND    DISTRICT 


31 


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32 


SAN   FRANCISCO  TRANSPORTATION   PROBLEM 


TABLE   V]I— GROWTH   OP   CAR  EQUIPMENT. 


(San  Francisco.) 

Number  of  Operating-  Car  I'nits 
ITpon  "Which  License 

Taxes  Were  Paid. 
Total  for  Total  for 

Year.  Cit.v.  U.  R.  R. 

1898 600 

1899 598 

1900 541 

1901 610 

1902 674  600 

1903 687  600 

1904 687  600 

1905 737  650 

1906 737  650 

1907 417  375 

1908 485  425 

1909 554  475 

1910 589  500 

1911 621  530 

1912 676  585 

♦Statement  to  Assessors. 

tStatement  to  State  Board  of  Equalization. 


Number  as 

Reported 

Prom  Poor' 

3  Manual. 

Total  for 

Total  for 

City. 

U.  R.  R. 

1,146 

1,057 

1,038 

1,055 

1,065 

905 

1,046 

898 

1,098 

917 

921* 

1,052 

871 

665 

484 

665 

484 

609 

484 

737 

612 

709 

612 

669t 

TABLE    VIII— GROWTH    OF    STREET    RAILWAY    TRACK 

MILEAGE. 


(San  Francisco.) 


Sing-le 
Track. 

Miles. 

3.0 
30.0 
45.0 
80.0 


Year. 

1860 

1868 

1871 

1875 

1887 142.0 

1889 156.5 

1890 183.5 

1891 179.5 

1894 239.5 

1895 248.4 

1896 269.8 

1897 270.2 

1898 262.7 


Single 

Track, 

Year.  Miles. 

1899 260.5 

1900 271.0 

1901 265.9 

1902 270.2 

1903 289.1 

1904 293.5 

1905 298.4 

1907 298.4 

1908 293.3 

1909 285.3 

1910 289.6 

1911 294.5 


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